Canning Pears

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Home canned pears are delicious right out of the jar! Whether packed in syrup or juice, this simple waterbath canning recipe is a great way to put up a bumper crop of pears in season.

Prep Time30

Cook Time5

Canning Time25

Total Time1

Course: Fruit Canning Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pear canning recipe

Servings: servings (Makes 7 Quarts)

Equipment

Water Bath Canner

Ingredients

17½ pounds pears Firm, ripe, about 2½ pounds per quart, see notes for pints
1 1/4 cups sugar for extra light syrup, see notes
10 1/2 cups water for extra light syrup, see notes
Water and ascorbic acid or lemon juice to prevent browning, see notes

Instructions

Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids before you begin.
Wash, peel, and halve the pears. Core them using a melon baller. Keep pears in acidified water until ready to use.
In a large saucepan, prepare your desired syrup strength by combining sugar and water. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Drain the pears and add them to the syrup. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Pack hot pears into hot jars, cut side down, and ladle hot syrup over them to cover, leaving ½ inch headspace. De-bubble, wipe rims, and apply lids.
Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Once processed, turn off the heat and let jars sit in the water for 5 minutes before removing.
Let cool 12 to 24 hours before checking seals and storing.

Notes

This recipe is written for a canner batch of 7 quarts in extra light syrup. If you’re canning in pints, you’ll need 11 pounds of pears for a 9 pint canner batch.

Canning Syrups

The syrup used as a canning liquid can be adjusted to your taste, and these are the sugar amounts for various canning syrups:

For a 9-Pint Canner Batch, you’ll need the following amounts:

Extra-light syrup: 3/4 cups sugar to 6 1/2 cups water
Light syrup: 1 1/2 cups sugar to 5 3/4 cups water
Medium syrup: 2 1/4 cups sugar to 5 1/4 cups water
Heavy syrup: 3 1/4 cups sugar to 5 cups water
Extra-Heavy Syrup: 4 1/4 cups sugar to 4 1/4 cups water

For a 7-Quart Canner Batch, you’ll need the following amounts:

Extra-light syrup: 1 1/4 cups sugar to 10 1/2 cups water
Light syrup: 2 1/4 cups sugar to 9 cups water
Medium syrup: 3 3/4 cups sugar to 8 1/4 cups water
Heavy syrup: 5 1/4 cups sugar to 7 3/4 cups water
Extra-Heavy Syrup: 6 3/4 cups sugar to 6 1/2 cups water

You can also substitute fruit juice (like apple or white grape juice) or plain water if you’re looking for a no-sugar option. Just know that water-packed pears will be safe, but the flavor may be flat.

Honey or maple syrup work wonderfully as well, but keep in mind they’re sweeter than sugar so you’ll only need about 2/3 to 3/4 as much to get the same sweetness as sugar.

Preventing Browning

To prevent peeled pears from browning as you work, prepare a simple pre-treatment before you start. Mix ½ cup bottled lemon juice with 2 quarts of cold water, or dissolve six crushed 500 mg Vitamin C tablets in a gallon of water. Drop peeled and sliced pears into the solution as you go, then drain before canning to keep their color bright and fresh.

Altitude Adjustments

Process the jars in a boiling water bath canner, adjusting for elevation:

Elevations 0–1,000 feet: 20 minutes for pints or 25 minutes for quarts
Elevations 1,001–3,000 feet: 25 minutes or 30 minutes for quarts
Elevations 3,001–6,000 feet: 30 minutes or 35 minutes for quarts
Elevations Above 6,000 feet: 35 minutes or 40 minutes for quarts

Nutrition