UPDATE!! (9/4/14)
Our tree this year is full of pears. It didn't get trimmed earlier this year and we didn't knock off any blooms. About two weeks ago we started checking to see if the pears were getting ready to pick. They are ready if when you lift up on the pears, they break at the stem. If they don't break, they aren't ready. We leave them alone and try again later. Then I wrap them individually with a piece of newspaper and wait for them to ripen.
Day before yesterday I decided to check and see if the pears were ripening. As it turned out, they were very soft. Yesterday with a lot of help from my husband we peeled what we had and made some pearsauce. I looked back for this recipe and thought I would update what we did today.
We peeled and cut the pears into chunks. (The first pears off the tree are small. Can't wait for the nice big ones to be ready to pick.) We prepared enough to fill my 3 - quart Crock Pot. Then I stirred in:
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons margarine
1-1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 cup orange juice
4 tablespoons honey
and cooked the pears on high for 6 hours (or til pears were tender). Then I mashed them with my potato masher.
Because it was time to go to bed, I put the pearsauce in the refrigerator. Today I divided it up into freezer bags and froze to enjoy later in the year. (Make sure you lay the bags flat in your freezer so the sauce will freeze flat for easier storage in freezer.)
The crock pot full cooked down to this amount.
It made 5 - 2/3 cups of sauce.
This sauce is not as "spiced" as what I made last year, but still very good.
Fall is in the air! At least it is here in Kansas City. Our temperatures started dropping Friday or I guess I should say Thursday early evening when a front came in with a storm that dropped the temps 20 degrees. Never heard the amount of rainfall it brought, but my trash can had quite a bit of water in it. (The lid didn't get put down after taking the trash out Thursday morning.)
Yesterday my husband decided to pick the rest of the pears off the tree. It was way too many to count as I was wrapping each one in newspaper to finish ripening. Needless to say, I will be spending a lot of time this week "dealing" with pears. But we will be enjoying them still next year.
I am really happy with two new recipes I recently found for pears. I am sharing one of them with you today. I'll share the other one in the next day or two.
This first recipe I found in Southern Living 1989 Annual Recipes. It was written for the microwave, but since the pears on our tree are cooking pears and take longer to cook than "eating" pears, I decided I would try it in the slow cooker.
The first batch I made I cooked in my 1 quart Crock Pot. It took 4 hours on high for the pears to cook. The smell while they were cooking was "out of this world" delicious.
The second batch I made in my 3 - quart Crock Pot. I prepared everything according to the recipe twice. I had the first batch in the smaller pot cooking while I prepared the pears for the second larger batch. Then I just dumped the pears in and poured the mixture over them all.
Here is how they look if you want to serve them as slices.
Then I mashed them in the crock pot like you would if you were making applesauce.
Best tasting pearsauce, you'll ever eat!
The four cups prepared pears cooked down to 2 cups. Since I was going to make more (I have pears "running out my ears" remember?), I decided to freeze the two cups. I let them cool and then spooned them into a sandwich bag. Then I placed the bag in a gallon freezer bag and placed it on a small cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. This is to make sure it freezes flat for better storage in freezer.
SPICED FALL PEARS
4 ripe pears, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground allspice (I only used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
Peel and core the pears. (After peeling the pear, I cut it in half and then in half again to easily core it. Then I cut each piece in half again.)
Dump the pear slices in the slow cooker.
Combine the brown sugar, allspice, and honey in a small bowl. Then add the juice. Stir til mixed well. Spoon over the pears in the cooker.
Cover and cook on high til tender, about 4 hours.
I am currently making a batch for my grandchildren, but used cinnamon instead of the allspice. I was afraid the allspice might be too spicy for them. I did use a whole teaspoon.
Our tree this year is full of pears. It didn't get trimmed earlier this year and we didn't knock off any blooms. About two weeks ago we started checking to see if the pears were getting ready to pick. They are ready if when you lift up on the pears, they break at the stem. If they don't break, they aren't ready. We leave them alone and try again later. Then I wrap them individually with a piece of newspaper and wait for them to ripen.
Day before yesterday I decided to check and see if the pears were ripening. As it turned out, they were very soft. Yesterday with a lot of help from my husband we peeled what we had and made some pearsauce. I looked back for this recipe and thought I would update what we did today.
We peeled and cut the pears into chunks. (The first pears off the tree are small. Can't wait for the nice big ones to be ready to pick.) We prepared enough to fill my 3 - quart Crock Pot. Then I stirred in:
4 tablespoons of brown sugar
4 tablespoons margarine
1-1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 cup orange juice
4 tablespoons honey
and cooked the pears on high for 6 hours (or til pears were tender). Then I mashed them with my potato masher.
Because it was time to go to bed, I put the pearsauce in the refrigerator. Today I divided it up into freezer bags and froze to enjoy later in the year. (Make sure you lay the bags flat in your freezer so the sauce will freeze flat for easier storage in freezer.)
This sauce is not as "spiced" as what I made last year, but still very good.
* * * * *
Fall is in the air! At least it is here in Kansas City. Our temperatures started dropping Friday or I guess I should say Thursday early evening when a front came in with a storm that dropped the temps 20 degrees. Never heard the amount of rainfall it brought, but my trash can had quite a bit of water in it. (The lid didn't get put down after taking the trash out Thursday morning.)
Yesterday my husband decided to pick the rest of the pears off the tree. It was way too many to count as I was wrapping each one in newspaper to finish ripening. Needless to say, I will be spending a lot of time this week "dealing" with pears. But we will be enjoying them still next year.
I am really happy with two new recipes I recently found for pears. I am sharing one of them with you today. I'll share the other one in the next day or two.
This first recipe I found in Southern Living 1989 Annual Recipes. It was written for the microwave, but since the pears on our tree are cooking pears and take longer to cook than "eating" pears, I decided I would try it in the slow cooker.
The first batch I made I cooked in my 1 quart Crock Pot. It took 4 hours on high for the pears to cook. The smell while they were cooking was "out of this world" delicious.
The second batch I made in my 3 - quart Crock Pot. I prepared everything according to the recipe twice. I had the first batch in the smaller pot cooking while I prepared the pears for the second larger batch. Then I just dumped the pears in and poured the mixture over them all.
Here is how they look if you want to serve them as slices.
SPICED FALL PEARS
4 ripe pears, peeled and sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground allspice (I only used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
Peel and core the pears. (After peeling the pear, I cut it in half and then in half again to easily core it. Then I cut each piece in half again.)
Dump the pear slices in the slow cooker.
Combine the brown sugar, allspice, and honey in a small bowl. Then add the juice. Stir til mixed well. Spoon over the pears in the cooker.
Cover and cook on high til tender, about 4 hours.
I am currently making a batch for my grandchildren, but used cinnamon instead of the allspice. I was afraid the allspice might be too spicy for them. I did use a whole teaspoon.
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