Pear Ginger Jam Recipe

We had a great kick-off weekend at the PA Farm Show! It was great to see so many of you stop by our Preservation Station to say Hello! We were busy making Pear Vanilla Jam, Pear Pineapple Marmalade, Spiced Pear Cranberry Jam, Lavender Jelly and Pear Ginger Jam from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin (see recipe below). Boy, did our booth smell good!

We will be at the PA Farm Show all week; Here’s our schedule for today:

Monday, January 11, 2016

Marisa McClellan, a food writer, canning teacher, and dedicated farmers market shopper who lives in Center City Philadelphia, is joining us at the PA Farm Show, January 11 & 12. Marisa is the author of Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round and Preserving by the Pint: Quick Seasonal Canning for Small Spaces. She will share a conserve, mostrada, and jam recipe.

1:30 Pear Ginger Conserve from Food in Jars
3:00pm Winter Fruit Mostarda from Preserving by the Pint
6:00pm Honey Sweetened Pear Vanilla Jam from Naturally Sweet Food in Jars

Pear-Ginger Jam

Excerpted from Preserving with Pomona’s Pectin by Allison Carroll Duffy (Fair Winds Press, June 2013).

The combination of pear and ginger is a natural—and an absolutely delicious one at that. For a scrumptious treat, try this earthy, mildly spiced jam slathered on waffles on a cool autumn morning!

Yield: 4 to 5 cups

Before You Begin:
Prepare calcium water.  To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s Pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.  Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use. Never used Pomona’s our calcium water? Here’s a closer look at what calcium water is.

Calcium water is a solution of the monocalcium phosphate powder (food-grade rock mineral source) that comes in its own packet with every purchase of Pomona’s Pectin. The Pomona’s Pectin directions tell you how to make calcium water with the calcium powder. Pomona’s Pectin recipes call for calcium water because the pectin is activated by calcium, not by sugar. For more information about calcium water, please visit the FAQ page of the Pomona’s Pectin website.

Pear-Ginger Jam Ingredients

3¼ pounds fully ripe pears
1 tablespoon peeled, finely grated ginger root
¼ cup lemon juice
4 teaspoons calcium water
1¼ cups sugar
3 teaspoons Pomona’s pectin powder

Pear-Ginger Jam Directions

1. Wash your jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring canner to a rolling boil, and boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize them. (Add 1 extra minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.) Reduce heat and allow jars to remain in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan, heat to a low simmer, and hold until ready to use.

2. Peel and core pears, and then mash pears in a large bowl.

3. Measure 4 cups of mashed pear (saving any extra for another use), and combine the measured quantity in a saucepan with ginger, lemon juice, and calcium water. Mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine sugar and pectin powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

5. Bring fruit mixture to a full boil over high heat. Slowly add pectin-sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve pectin while the jam returns to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

6.  Can Your Jam: Remove jars from canner and ladle jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, put on lids and screw bands, and tighten to fingertip tight. Lower filled jars into canner, ensuring jars are not touching each other and are covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Place lid on canner, return to a rolling boil, and process for 10 minutes (adjusting for altitude if necessary). Turn off heat and allow canner to sit untouched for 5 minutes, then remove jars and allow to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly.

If you’re looking for something a little different, why not try honey instead of sugar in this recipe? In place of the sugar, use 1/2 to 1 cup (170 to 340 g) of honey.

Giveaways

We hope you’ll stop by and see more great recipes, being demonstrated at our Preservation Station. You can find our full schedule of demos here. Don’t forget to enter two great giveaways we have happening! Win a Fermenting Kit or a Canning Kit.