Remember that blizzard that closed the government, the schools, the shops, the everything? Yes, that blizzard, the blizzard that wasn’t. Well, like every gainfully employed person in Washington that day, I got to work from home – which meant that I got up at 6 am to make jam in my pajamas before hopping on my computer by 9 like a dutiful employee.

But for those precious two hours that morning, the snow fell thick outside my kitchen window and the apartment smelled like pears, honey, and sage. It didn’t matter so much that the snow didn’t stick and turned to rain later that day. I will still remember this jam as my blizzard jam, and each jar holds the energy of the elements inside.

Winter’s pear season is nearly gone to make room for the arrival of strawberries and rhubarb, but I loved making this jam so much that I wanted to share it anyway. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find fresh and bright pears at your local farmers market that have been kept in cold storage. I adapted the recipe from the , a marvelous compilation from the San Francisco based jam company.

pear sage jam

makes 6 half-pint jars of jam

6 lbs. organic pears, ripe but firm (about 15 pears)
juice of 3 lemons
4 cups sugar
2 sprigs of sage, about 6 leaves on each
3 T honey
1.5 t. cider vinegar

Peel the pears and slice them thin (1/4 inch). Toss them with the lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and rest overnight to macerate in their juices.

In a large pot, bring the pears to a boil and continue boiling until the pears are clear and amber in color, and the jam passes the wrinkle test, about 30 minutes. Add the sage to the last 10 minutes of cooking. Turn off the heat, and add the honey and vinegar. Remove the sage leaves.

Fill hot, sterilized jars with the jam, clean the rims before screwing on the lids, and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off the water bath, let the jars sit for 5 minutes more, then remove to a towel or wire rack for the jars to cool, undisturbed for 24 hours.

Store whatever jars don’t seal in the refrigerator. All sealed jars will keep on the shelf for up to a year.