Canning Pears

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Just picked a bunch of pears? Here’s a simple tutorial for Canning Pears that you can follow to preserve those fruits all winter long!

The big canning season can't end until we can up some pears! Canning pears only works if your pears are still slightly hard and not over-ripe. If you have very ripe pears of over-ripe pears I would recommend making some Pearsauce.

Canning Pears

The big canning season can’t end until we can up some pears! Canning pears only works if your pears are still slightly hard and not over-ripe. If you have very ripe pears of over-ripe pears I would recommend making some Pearsauce.

Tip: You can also Dehydrate Pears as well!

What You Need for Canning Pears

  • For reference, it takes about 4 regular-sized pears to fill a quart jar. Bartlett Pears are the best pears for canning, but bosc or anjou will work as well. You will need about 28 large pears to fill a canner load.
  • You will also need all canning equipment (canning funnel, slotted spoon, quart jars, lids, rims, air bubble remover, etc)
  • Water Bath Canner
  • Simple Syrup (Or juice like apple juice or white grape juice. We use white grape juice for the best flavor.)

Syrup

Instructions for Canning Pears

Start by making your sugar syrup. I make the lightest syrup possible which is 5 cups of water to 1 1/4 c. sugar. You can use raw sugar. I also will use honey (same ratio) or replace the syrup altogether and use white grape juice mixed with water. Make your syrup on the stove in a large pot over a medium heat, and then leave it on a low heat to keep it warm while you work on your pears.

Peeled Pears

 Since pears don’t peel the same as peaches, we peel them with a vegetable peeler. This seems to be the easiest and quickest method.

Sliced Pears

Slice in half and scoop out the middles. You could use some kind of melon baller but I just used my measuring teaspoons.

Pears on a Sterilized Jar

Place your pears in a clean, sterilized jar. I recommend quart jars for your jar size and not pints because you won’t be able to fit much in them. Try not to squish them find. Keep them in a single layer if possible in the canning jar. I don’t recommend a hot pack for fruits as they will get too mushy.

I’ve seen reports of using lemon juice or citric acid in jars to help preserve color, but we feel like this doesn’t particularly matter to us so I don’t add anything extra. You could add a cinnamon stick if you want to do a spiced style pear.

Pears covered with Syrup on a Jar

Add in the hot syrup to cover the pears, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles as needed. Clean the rims of the jar and, add the lid and rim, screw until it’s fingertip tight. Process quarts for 25 mins in a boiling water canner. (Do not start the time until the water has come to a boil.) Adjust the processing time for altitude.

Water Bath Instructions
Source SDSU.

Let your jars sit in the water bath without it being turned on and without the lid for 5 minutes after they finish boiling. Remove the jars from the water and let them sit undisturbed to dry and seal.

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How to Can Pears

Quick tutorial on canning pears!

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Canning Pears
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 7 quarts
Calories 406 kcal
Creator Merissa

Ingredients

  • 28 Pears about 4 large pears per jar

Instructions

  1. For reference, it takes about 4 regular sized pears to fill a quart jar.
  2. Start by making your syrup. I make the lightest syrup possible which is 5 cups of water to 1 1/4 c. sugar. You can use raw sugar. Make your syrup on the stove and leave it on a low heat to keep it warm while you work on your pears.

  3. Since pears don't peel the same as peaches, we just peel them with a vegetable peeler.

  4. Slice in half and scoop out the middles. You could use some kind of melon baller but I just used my measuring teaspoons.
  5. Place your pears in a clean, sterilized jar.
  6. Add in the syrup to cover the pears, leaving a little headspace. Clean the rims of the jar and add the lid and rim, screw on tightly. Process quarts for 25 minutes in a hot water bath canner. Adjust for altitude.

Nutrition Facts
How to Can Pears
Amount Per Serving
Calories 406 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 0.2g1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Sodium 7mg0%
Potassium 826mg24%
Carbohydrates 108g36%
Fiber 22g92%
Sugar 69g77%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 178IU4%
Vitamin C 31mg38%
Calcium 64mg6%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More Canning Recipes

Please check with your local extension office on changes in temp/times/high altitude.

canningrecipesad

Make sure you check out all the free Canning and Preserving Recipes we have on Little House Living! And don’t forget to check out The Canner’s Cookbook; it has recipes on how to use all your home canned goods!

I recommend a Presto Pressure Canner and the book Putting Food By for all your canning projects!

Did you make this recipe and enjoy it? Be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe card and share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and through Email using the sharing buttons below.

Have you ever tried canning pears?


Me and Kady

Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.


This blog post for Canning Pears was originally posted on Little House Living in September 2012. It has been updated as of August 2023.

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12 Comments

  1. Love canned pears. The last house we owned had an ancient (and well flowered) pear tree. We got so many pears that the base of the tree was always full of fallen fruit. I would can up many of them, and do poached pears in wine sauce, and pear flan, and pear crisp… Yum! I miss them a lot!

  2. Love your blog! It is wonderful to see someone still canning. I grew up gardening, canning and all that wonderful stuff, but since we live in a small town I don’t do as much now. I do freeze items. You are inspiring me, though, so I might jump back into canning someday. https://www.allbetweenfriends.com

  3. I love canning, but don’t have anything to can with where I am living now. I need to know what I can do with my pears besides canning or making sauce. Can I freeze my pears? They are ripe and ready to be eaten, very delicious!!!! I use them in my morning smoothie, also!

      1. They are delicious dried as well! I just put them in water and ascorbic acid to stop the browning before drying, but my friend puts them in sprite.

  4. QUESTION: Our pears are still not very ripe. I have made Pear Butter out of some, but still have gazillions. If I want to start canning them now, is there something I could do so the pears will be “softer” when canning, like they “are” already ripe?

  5. Hello , I am curious Is it possiable to keep that crisp texture in your pears? I know with pickles you can add greap leaves and I think Oak. as well as those ball pebbles to help with crispness.

  6. I have been told you can process your fruits and veggies in an oven. 250 degree oven for one hour. Have you ever heard of this and is it safe?