Pears in their own juice
Description
Pears should be canned while still unripe. Choose firm, attractive fruit with thin skin. If the skin is thick, peel it off thinly. Cut large pears in half or into four wedges; remove any damaged spots, stems, and cores. Can small pears whole. I try to pack pears of equal size into each jar—it looks nicer and they preserve more evenly. So, a simple recipe for pears in their own juice is as follows. 1. Wash the pears and sort them into large and small. Cut the large ones, peel them, remove the stem and core. Remove any damaged spots. It is recommended to do all of this with a stainless steel knife. 2. The peeled pears need to be blanched. Prepare a solution of water and citric acid (1 gram of citric acid per 1 liter of water). Blanch over medium heat for 10 minutes; small pears may need only about five minutes. 3. Immediately after blanching, place the pears in a bowl of cold water. 4. Arrange the cooled pears in clean, dry jars that have been prepared in advance and cover with boiling water. Add citric acid: 0.5 gram per half-liter jar, 1 gram per liter jar. 5. Cover the jars of pears, water, and citric acid with lids (but do not seal or process yet!) and sterilize in boiling water. Half-liter jars are sterilized for 15 minutes; liter jars for 20 minutes. 6. Seal the sterilized jars of pears in their own juice, turn them upside down on a blanket, and wrap them up. Leave until completely cool, then move to a cool, dark place. Serve at the table or store in the pantry.