Ginger Pear Trio: Canning Pears, Dark Ginger Syrup & Pear Juice

Autumn is here and with it the peak of harvest and home food preservation. I get wildly excited this time of year and shift into full-scale canning mode. My guiding question is always, “Would I love this in the middle of winter?” If the answer is yes, I preserve it. With limited freezer space (I’m reserving room for venison), canning is my go-to way to keep that fresh-picked flavor year-round.

This season I scaled back slightly because of a busy summer, but that helped me prioritize what we truly enjoy, what makes great gifts, and what brings me joy when I open a jar in the off-season. One of those treasures is home-canned pears—specifically my favorite ginger pears in a dark, caramel-toned syrup.

Pears canned at home are wonderfully tender and sweet; add a touch of warm ginger and they become irresistible. This recipe, besides producing excellent ginger pears, also yields two extra products: pear juice and a concentrated ginger-pear syrup. It’s efficient and rewarding: one effort, three delicious results.

Here’s how it works. To prevent the pear flesh from browning, you soak the cut pears in a lemon-water bath. After processing most of the pears, you leave a few in that lemony bath, boil the bath liquid with the pears, then strain it to create a gentle pear juice. The rest of the pears are warmed, packed into jars, and covered with a dark ginger syrup made from raw (or light brown) sugar and thinly sliced ginger. Any leftover syrup is strained and jarred separately. In the end you’ll have ginger pears in dark syrup, extra ginger-pear syrup for drizzling or mixing, and lightly flavored pear juice.

Ways to enjoy these three products are plentiful: eat the pears straight from the jar, bake them into a crisp, top vanilla or pumpkin ice cream, serve them alongside roasted pork, add them to smoothies or winter fruit salads. The pear juice is lovely chilled on its own, in a party punch, or gently warmed in a hot toddy. The dark ginger-pear syrup is exceptional drizzled over ice cream or pie, folded into a fruit crisp, used in cocktails, or mixed with seltzer for a refreshing ginger-pear soda.

There is some work involved, but the results are worth it. Over years of processing pears I developed a method that minimizes waste and speeds things up. These simple steps preserve the most fruit flesh with the least fuss:

Cut the pear in half before peeling. This makes the next steps easier and faster.
Peel each half with a vegetable peeler rather than a paring knife to remove only the skin and preserve more flesh.
Use the small end of a melon baller to remove the tough core at the narrow base of the pear.
Use the larger end of the melon baller to scoop out the seed cavity.
Repeat with the remaining pears.

I can’t wait to hear how you use your Three-In-One Pears. I’ll be here happily sampling them straight from the jar.

Three In One Pears: Canning Ginger Pears, Dark Ginger Pear Syrup, and Pear Juice

Rebecca Lindamood

This project takes some time, but it yields three products: tender ginger-flavored pears in a dark, caramel-scented syrup; concentrated ginger-pear syrup for drizzling or mixing; and a delicate pear juice. Each is versatile and stores well for months.

Ingredients

For the Dark Ginger Syrup:

4 1/2 cups raw sugar (substitute light brown sugar if needed)
6 cups water
2 inch piece ginger peeled and cut into very thin matchstick-like pieces

For the Ginger Pears:

8 to 12 pounds fresh pears ripe but firm, plus 6 extra pears for the juice

For the Pear Juice:

12 cups fresh cool water
3/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

To Make the Dark Ginger Syrup and Ginger Pears:

Prepare your canner, jars, and lids. You will need about 6–8 quart jars and a few pint or half-pint jars for extra syrup. Follow standard canning preparation for sanitizing equipment.
Combine the raw sugar, sliced ginger, and water in a large stainless-steel saucepan. Stir constantly to dissolve the sugar, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from heat, and let steep so the ginger infuses the syrup.
Mix the lemon juice and cool water in a bowl to create the anti-browning bath and set it near your prep area. This bath will protect pears from discoloration and later become the base for pear juice.
Work one pear at a time to avoid browning: cut in half, peel with a vegetable peeler, and remove the core and seeds using a melon baller. Place each prepared pear half into the lemon water. Reserve six extra pears for the juice.
Reheat the syrup over medium-low until it steams. Warm all but 12 pear halves in a single layer just until heated through. Transfer pears to jars cored side down in overlapping layers, leaving 1/2–3/4 inch headspace. Keep 12 pear halves in the lemon water for juice.
Ladle hot syrup, including the ginger shreds, over the pears. Remove air bubbles with a thin flexible utensil and top up syrup as needed. Wipe jar rims, center lids, and screw rings fingertip-tight.
Fill pint or half-pint jars with the remaining syrup for storage, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, center lids, and screw rings fingertip-tight.
Place jars in the canner, cover with water, bring to a boil, and process for 25 minutes. After processing, turn off heat, remove the lid, and let jars sit in the hot water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a rack and let cool undisturbed overnight. Remove rings, wipe jars, label, and store.

To Make the Pear Juice:

Transfer the reserved lemon-water and the 12 pear halves to a large stainless-steel pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered until the pears are falling apart.
Line a colander set over a large stockpot with two layers of cheesecloth. Ladle the pear mixture into the colander and allow it to drain slowly without pressing the solids. This filtering can take up to two hours.
Heat the strained juice gently to steaming (about 190°F), then ladle the hot juice into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, center lids, and screw rings fingertip-tight.
Place the jars in the canner, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes. When finished, turn off heat, remove the lid, and let jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Remove and cool jars overnight on a rack. Remove rings, wipe jars, label, and store.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate exact nutrition using the ingredients and quantities you use.