Canning and bottling.

Yesterday was a busy day.  My dad brought me a big box of pears from his tree so I decided to take a stab at canning them.  I ended up with 6 quarts and barely made a dent in the box.  I decided to use light syrup (less sugar!).

Canned Pear Halves

 

To make light syrup, simply dissolve 2 cups of sugar (I use pure cane) in 1 liter of warm water.  I found that if I put the syrup in my teapot it makes it easier to pour it into the jars.  Just leave the teapot on a warm burner while you prepare the pears.

 

Lightly poach the pears in boiling water (30 sec or less).  Peel and core them, and cut off any bruised portions.  Cut the pears into halves and drop them into the jars.  I find that large mouth quart jars work best.  Really pack them in there to eliminate as much air space as possible.  Then fill the jar with syrup and seal.

 

Immerse the sealed jars in boiling water for 40 minutes.

 

If you want to be more adventurous, you can add spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, or anise.

 

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I also bottled my first Italian varietal last night, 27 bottles of Barolo.  Barolo is a grape variety that is derived from the Nebbiolo grape. It is produced in the Piedmont region of Italy. These grapes produce a lovely deep red wine with medium body and low acidity.  This was my first experience with Barolo, but it was quite drinkable after only 2 weeks of aging in the carboy.  This wine should improve with age, so I'll keep you posted!