Packing Pears

For Christmas every year my best childhood friend sends us a box of pears from Medford, OR.  This year I decided to can a bunch of them - my first time canning pears.  It's a very easy process; way easier than corn or green beans because you don't need a pressure cooker.  Here are the equipment, ingredients and directions:

Equipment:
1 large bowl
1 large stainless steel pot
1 large canning pot (or big stock pot)
1 ladle
6-7 pint jars, sterilized and kept hot
1 jar remover (to get the jars out of the boiling water)

Ingredients:
7-8 large pears (approx. 11 lbs)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar
6 cups water

Directions:

1. Wash and peel the pears.  I used a potato peeler.  Remove the core/seeds.  Slice or cut - I cut into large cubes.
2. Place pears in a large bowl and pour lemon juice over. Stir to cover all the fruit.  The lemon juice will prevent the fruit from browning while you  prepare the light syrup.
3. Fill the canning pot half full of water and set over high heat to bring to boil.
4. In a large stainless steel pot, bring sugar and water to boil stirring frequently.
5. Add the pears to the pot and boil for 5 minutes.
6. Ladle pears into hot jars, leaving one inch headspace.  Add enough syrup to cover the pears.
7. Screw the lids on tightly and place in the canning pot with boiling water.  The water should be about one inch above the top of the jars.
8. Boil for 20 minutes.
9. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
10. Store in a cool, dark location

Enjoy!!!!