Ain't she a peach!

Well, I know I've been a little slow at reporting my "30 Things" project, but you will have to forgive me. I set a goal to learn to can this fall and thanks to a friend in my ward, I did it! It was really fun and surprisingly not as hard as I had anticipated. Besides learning to can pears and peaches, I also made a load of freezer jam. I made strawberry, raspberry, peach and pear (quite delish btw). Sadly I did not make enough as we are running low already--I guess I underestimated how much jam could be consumed under one roof! Anyway, the goal of my "30 Things" project was to learn things that I have always wanted to learn and lacked either the motivation or time to tackle. I am excited about this new-found skill and look forward to using it in my life for many years to come! On a funny note, the electricity went out when I was making the pear jam--talk about being domestic!

A simple recipe for pear freezer jam with pure pear taste.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups pear puree
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 package freezer jam pectin
• 1/3 cup water or apple juice

Preparation:

1. Peel and slice the pears. Then, puree in a blender or food processor.

2. Stir the sugar and pectin together in a bowl.

3. Add the pear puree and water (or juice). Stir for 3 minutes.

4. Ladle the jam into clean freezer jars. Twist on the lids; then, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until thickened. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for up to a year.

Makes enough for 5 half-pint freezer jars.