How to Can Pears without Sugar | The Prairie Homestead (2024)

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How do you can pears without sugar? ›

Preserving Pears WITH JUICE

You'll need 48 oz of juice per 4 pounds of pears using a hot pack process. Using frozen concentrated apple or white grape juice is a great and easy substitution for refined sugar syrup. Use one can of thawed concentrate mixed with three cans of water.

Freezing Pears

Add pears and simmer 1-2 minutes; drain and cool. Cover with cooled syrup, leaving ½ inch headspace. Add 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid per quart to avoid discoloration (optional). Seal and freeze.

Cut the pears into quarters, remove the core, and peel. Slice quarters in thirds if working with large pears or into half in working with small pears. Place prepared pears in water with 1 tbsp of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Prevent discoloration of the peeled pears by holding them in a solution made by crushing six 500mg vitamin C tablets (or 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid) in one gallon water or use a commercial ascorbic acid mixture. Drain pears well before canning or freezing.

Although pears are most often canned in simple syrup, it is quite safe to can them in juice or even plain water. The canning liquid is a flavoring element, not a safety consideration. There are two basic ways to safely can pears: the hot pack method and the raw pack method.

One is to coat the fruit as it is cut with a solution of 1 teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid or 3,000 mg crushed vitamin C tablets per cup of water. Another is to drop the cut pieces in a solution of water and ascorbic acid, citric acid, or lemon juice.

Bottled Lemon Juice (optional) – You can use lemon juice in your bowl of water to help keep pears from turning brown while peeling the rest. This is purely optional and not necessary to safely can them. Sugar – Sugar is optional when canning pears. See syrup ratios above to know how much sugar you'll need.

Sugar helps canned fruit hold its shape, color and flavor, but it is not needed to prevent spoilage. Fruits also can be packed in hot water or juice. Processing is the same for unsweetened and sweetened fruit.

You could even use water, though a lightly sugared solution will help the fruit retain its color for storage longer than a few weeks. For spices, I used cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon, because I know these spices complement the flavor of the pears.

For long-term storage, refrigerate unripened pears at a temperature of 32 to 35°F. European pears may be stored for one to three months. Remove stored fruit about one week prior to use to fully ripen at room temperature.

What is the best pear tree for canning? ›

The prolific Bartlett pear is an excellent choice for canning and baking. Learn about pear trees and try a recipe for Bartlett pear preserves.

If your recipe called for lemon juice and you forgot to put it in, your mixture will not be acid enough for safe canning. You have to open the jars and put the mixture into a sauce pan.

When purified procyanidins were treated at 95 °C at three different pH values (2.7, 3.3, and 4.0), procyanidin concentrations decreased after treatment, the more so as the pH was lower, and a pinkish color also appeared, attributed to tannin-anthocyanidin pigment. The pink color was bound to cell walls.

Other pears, such as Bartlett, Moonglow and Clapp's Favorite, are also suitable for canning. These have enough natural acid that they do not need to be acidified for safety. Pear halves can be processed in a water bath canner or pressure canner.

Canning Pears

Place the pears into the hot syrup in a single layer and let them heat through for about 5 minutes. Fill your jar with two four-inch cinnamon sticks. Fill your jar with the hot pears using a slotted spoon (about 6-8 pear halves per quart jar). Leave 1/2-inch headspace.

Unopened canned pears can be stored in the pantry for 12-18 months. Check the date on the label. After opening, store in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. To cut down on added sugars, look for pears canned in 100% juice or water, rather than syrups.

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!