Recipe: Pear and Ginger Conserve

Someone, who looks suspicious like my husband, informs me that I missed the whole appreciation concept when I moaned about Thanksgiving in Saturday’s post. Apparently, it’s all about gratitude and love, not weather preferences.

He’s right. As usual.

While I might not be ready to offer you pumpkin recipes, I was and am very grateful. For many things. Like this view of the garden.

And my sister’s help with the planting when the 200 daffodil and tulips bulbs I bought somehow expanded into 1200+ .

I’m also grateful that I had 3 pounds of pears on hand when the mood to make pear & ginger conserve struck. And that I hadn’t put away the canning system from the batch of plum & lavender jam made on a whim the day before. And that I had just enough mason jars on hand in just the right sizes to hold the preserves.

And my thumb is grateful for the canning funnel since it was already a little banged up from the bulb planting and wasn’t in the mood for another burn.

I’m also thankful that when the inevitable snow flies, I’ll be able to haul my preserves out of my lovely new pantry and relive a little bit of summer, all the while knowing a riot of daffodils and tulips are sleeping in the garden waiting to greet me come spring.

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Pear and Ginger Conserve

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

• 3 pounds pears
• 2 tbsp grated orange rind
• 2 oranges, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped, peeled ginger root
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 tbsp lemon juice

Wash, peel, core and slice pears. Grate the orange. Set grated rind aside. Chop and segment the orange. Put half the pears, the orange rind and orange segments in a blender or food processor and pulse until puréed.

Tie ginger in a cheesecloth bag. Put pears, orange rind, orange, ginger bag, honey and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan. Cover bring slowly to a simmer. Cook until pears are tender and until desired consistency is reached.

Remove cheesecloth bag. Pour pear conserve into sterilized jars, levelling 1/4 inch headspace. Seal and process in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.

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