It was a brisk, sunny afternoon when five brown-haired, boot-stompin’ ladies and one golden-locked Viking chap gathered in a bright pink kitchen for a canning party. Emily of Nothing-in-the-House was hosting, and we were armed with 30 jars, $30 worth of onions, and heaping piles of pears, peppers, and garlic.
We made three things that day: spiced pickled pears, onion marmalade, and a spicy/sweet ginger garlic jam. I learned that if you cut onions with a candle lit nearby, your eyes don’t burn and tear up. We also learned that $30 worth of onions takes a long, long, long time to cook down.
Mercifully, at least one of our recipes, the spiced pickled pears, was low effort and high reward. Slice the pears, prep the pickling syrup, poach the pears, pack them into sterilized jars, and process in a boiling water bath. Wait a few weeks for the pears to ripen in the spiced syrup, then pop open the jar and enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or served over ham or poultry. The leftover pickling syrup would make a delightful cocktail.
This weekend, Emily is paying me a visit in my little kitchen for part two of our blog collaboration! Any thoughts on what we should make? Since Nothing-in-the-House is a pie blog, pie requests or variations on a theme are most welcome. And a post on the most recent DC Food Swap is coming soon… stay tuned.
spiced pickled pears
adapted from
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 oz. ginger root, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 t. whole allspice
1 t. whole cloves
2 1/4 lbs. small, firm pears
In a large pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, and spices (except the cloves) over low heat until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
Peel the pears, keeping the stems attached, and slice in half or thirds if they’re too large to fit into jars whole. Stud each pear with 2 or 3 cloves. Add the pears to the pickling syrup and simmer gently for 15-25 minutes until they’re tender but not mushy.
Pack the pears into warm, sterilized jars. Bring the syrup to a boil for 5 minutes, then ladle it over the pears. Clean the rims, screw on the lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
Remove from the boiling water bath and set the jars in a draft-free, undisturbed area for 24 hours until cool. Refrigerate all jars that don’t seal. Wait one month before using. Will keep for one year.
I just love the busyness of these photos! So much action!
Totally! We were very busy – we started at noon and didn’t wrap up until after 8. Full day’s work!
OMG I CAN’T WAIT TO EAT THOSE PEARS!!!!
We should have an uncorking (un-jarring?) party when they’re ready.
I am putting you on a post with an award;I don’t know if you are interested.I am acknowledging a couple of awards and trying to spread some of the support around.The post will be up soon. I do enjoy yours!
Tonette
http://tonettejoycefoodfriendsfamily.wordpress.com/
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Yummo, I can’t wait to try making those spiced picked pears! Thanks for sharing 🙂
pickled. Not picked.
I’m trying out the recipe as we speak. I’m worried I don’t have enough liquid. Do you any water to make the syrup? Anyways I’ll see how it goes. So far I’m loving the ingredients and the process. Thanks
Hi Susan! I remember when we made these, we came close to running out of syrup too. No water – the syrup is a vinegar syrup. Here’s the original recipe:
If you’re running low on syrup, I’d just make more. Hope that helps!
Just wanted to let you know I didn’t make all the pears so I just did a test batch. I figured that I’m going to do 4x’s the syrup when I make them all. Thanks for getting back to me. They turned out lovely.