5 September 2017 Bartlett Pear

[Durgan]

http://durgan.org/2017/September%202017/5%20September%202017%20Bartlett%20Pear/HTML/ 5 September 2017 Bartlett Pear
About two bushels of Bartlett Pears were acquired from two places for making juice. A bushel is 60 pounds. Fifty six pounds were a present from a private garden. Fifty eight pounds dropped fruit were purchased from a commercial grower at 30 dollars a bushel. They have to be ripened off the tree by testing when the shoulder is slightly soft to the touch before processing into juice. It takes about a week to ripen at room temperature. Pears are excellent quality this year.

 

[alp]

Well done! I think you have a massive farm with massive storage!

 

[Durgan]

Well done! I think you have a massive farm with massive storage!

About half an acre in the best growing area of Canada. What I don't grow I can buy right from the field.

All my material is kept in a small root cellar and in liter jars in boxes of 12 in a stack. Most of my produce is juiced, dehydrated, or in a root cellar whole. A stack of around 500 jars doesn't require much room.

Soon be Winter here and all growing activity ceases.

 

[alp]

About half an acre in the best growing area of Canada. What I don't grow I can buy right from the field.

All my material is kept in a small root cellar and in liter jars in boxes of 12 in a stack. Most of my produce is juiced, dehydrated, or in a root cellar whole. A stack of around 500 jars doesn't require much room.

Soon be Winter here and all growing activity ceases.

True! You should call yourself squirrel .. Haha!

 

[headfullofbees]

Last year I saved a small pear tree which was dying. It was located in a plot which had been recently abandoned, and was in a very bad way, although without signs of disease.
I dug it up and put it in a far better spot in my plot, gave it loads of tlc and seaweed.
Last night I preserved seven pint jars of little pears from this tree, am eating loads of my favourite fruit (anyone remember this topic? https://www.gardening-forums.com/th...ust-one-fruit-for-the-rest-of-your-life.3853/ ) and I gave 2 dozen to my next door neighbours for their kids. (Bet the parents eat some!)
Things like that are SOOOOOO fulfilling.
Thank you Durgan for giving me the interest in expanding what and how I preserve!

Next, pickling Anaheim chillies!

 

[Durgan]

http://durgan.org/2017/September%202017/9%20September%202017%20Pear%20Juice/HTML/ 9 September 2017 Pear Juice.
Twenty pounds of ripe pears were selected for pressure canning. Ripeness is determined by finger pressing the pear shoulder and any inward softness is an indication of ripeness. Process: Wash, cut into quarters, cover with water, cook until soft ~20 minutes, strain 2mm mesh, place into liter jars in batches of seven, the pressure cooker capacity. Pressure Can at 15 PSI for 15 minutes. Pears are inherently sweet and they tend to thicken with cooking so adequate water must be added which is slightly covering the cooking pot material. A total of 18 liter jars was processed from 20 pounds of pears, about a pound of pears in each jar. A pound is two to three pears.

 

[Durgan]

http://durgan.org/2017/September%202017/11%20September%202017%20Bartlett%20Pears./HTML/ 11 September 2017 Bartlett Pears. Sixteen jars of juice was made from 20 pounds of ripe Bartlett Pears.Methods are essentially the same.

 

[headfullofbees]

They look just like mine!
Same small size, same shape, same colour!

 

[Durgan]

Bartlett is the most common in NA. It is a fine, sweet fruit, but the window opportunity for processing is about three days before they start to discolor. I got around 75 liters from 120 pounds of pears. Two more batches of about 16 each that I am not showing. My pot handles about 20 pounds for cooking.

 

[headfullofbees]

They're such a treat fresh that I stuffed my face with them, gave some to the neighbours, and processed the rest.

 

[headfullofbees]

Tried the first of my canned pears, as dessert last night, and they're delicious!! My wife called them ambrosia!
Yesssss!!! Thanks Durgan!