I am going to repost/archive some of the recipes I've found. All of these are from
Dr. Mom at
Southern Forager. I'm hoping that by reposting these here it's less likely that these recipes will be lost to time.
Bradford Pear Jelly
Ingredients:
Plastic grocery bag of Bradford pear fruit
Stick of cinnamon
2 T lemon juice
Water
Sugar
Box of powdered pectin
Bradford Pear Jelly
Directions:
Clean the small pears by removing the stem. If you let them sit on your counter for at least a day, the stems dry out and are easier to just pull off. If you get a stubborn one, when you cut the fruit in half and it comes right out. Because it was late in the season, I had no problems pulling the stems off.
Put pears in a large pot. Fill pot with water to just above the fruit. Add stick of cinnamon.
Bring to a boil and reduce temperature to simmer. Cook until pears are mushy (about an hour). Using a potato masher or spoon, lightly mash the pears to help release the pectin and flavor.
Start your canner and water to boil if you plan to complete the jelly on the same day. Mine takes about an hour to get to a boil so now is a good time to turn it on.
At this point, you can drain your mixture using a jelly bag over night, however, I am too impatient for that. Start with a spaghetti strainer and strain the large part parts out of your mixture. Add the leftover fruit mush to your compost. Then move to a fine mesh strainer and strain juice twice. Finally, put coffee filters into your spaghetti strainer and then strain the juice. This takes about 10 minutes which is much easier than waiting overnight and works just as well.
Measure your juice. For every cup of juice, add a cup of sugar. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stir often.
In a separate bowl, mix your powdered pectin with about a half cup of water until powder is no longer lumpy. Add to your boiling liquid. Stir and bring back to hard boil. Boil for an additional minute. Fill your jars with the hot liquid and boil in a water bath for 10 minutes.
Bradford Pear Sweet and Sour Sauce
Ingredients:
1 gallon baggie of Bradford Pears (about 8 cups after stems removed)
1 whole pineapple, skinned, cored, and chopped small
2 cups chopped peppers (red, green or yellow)
1 onion chopped
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
4 T soy sauce
6 cups sugar
1 cup clear jel
1 cup of cold water (to mix with clear jel for thickening)
Bradford Pear Sweet and Sour Sauce!
Directions:
Rinse Bradford pears and cut stem off.
Place in pot. Fill with water to above fruit. Boil until soft, crushing fruit to open. Refill water as needed to maintain level. Simmer 1-2 hours for best result.
Strain for juice in jelly bag or several times through a fine mesh strainer. Measure liquid and add water if necessary to equal five cups.
Add liquid to stock pot along with pineapple, peppers, onion, vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes. Meanwhile mix clear jel and cold water. Add to mixture and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Ladle into prepared jars and water bath 35 minutes.
Makes 6 - 7 pints.
Bradford Pear Wine Recipe
Ingredients:
8 cups of Bradford Pears
2 gallons water
12 cups sugar
4 teaspoons loose tea
1 campden tablet
1 lime, sliced
1 teaspoon pectin enzyme
2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
1 pack of yeast (wine yeast is best but baking yeast works fine)
2 or 2.5 gallon lidded crock
Bradford Pear Wine!
Directions:
Rinse pears and remove stems. In sections, crush pears by double bagging and using a rolling pin (or step on). Don't use a food processor. You do not want to break the seeds as it may make your wine bitter. Add to a two gallon lidded crock. Boil 1 gallon of water and sugar. Pour over crushed pears. Add tea. Add crushed campden tablet. Mix. Add sliced lime. Mix. If there is space in fermenting jar, add water from the other gallon of water until full. Mix.
Let sit over night (24 hours).
Add 1 teaspoon pectin enzyme and mix. Let sit for six hours.
Add yeast nutrient and yeast. Add lid and clear plastic wrap around lid to prevent anything from entering (a single fruit fly could destroy the entire batch). Occasionally stir. Let sit until bubbles subside. Mine took about eight weeks and was quite strong. Rack wine to clean bottle(s). Rack again once it settles for clear wine. For best results let wine age six months, though you can drink it at this point.
