Yesterday I made pear preserves using about half the pears I had brought from Texas.
Nine half pints so I’m hoping once I make the rest of the preserves, I end up with at least 15 half pints. The pears are all different sizes so I may get a few more or less half pints with the second batch. This is the last time I’ll get to make anything with the fruit from our own trees. Pears are the last to get ripe.
I used the hot plate to cook the pears down but used the stove and my smallest All American canner for canning . . even though it was water bath canning. I would have used the hot plate for the canning too with that small canner except I only have one hot plate in MO and the pears were still cooking when I began heating the water to boil in the canner.
I have another hot plate in Texas and would have brought it with me except the car was totally and absolutely full this trip. I even had things under my feet and that was not a comfortable 9 hours in the car! I usually drive part of the way since Vince doesn’t like driving that far but he would never have made it sitting in the passenger seat with all the stuff in the floor so he had to drive the whole time and dang it . . I had to sit there and knit! 🙂
vivoaks says
It has to be difficult making so many small (relatively) trips to get everything there! I can’t imagine having things underfoot the entire way there, but I guess you do what you need to do to get the job done…. Stay positive and you’ll get it done in no time. 🙂
Judy Laquidara says
No, we’re not doing it all in small trips. We have a mover scheduled for a couple of weeks. They will use their regular moving truck plus a 26′ U-Haul and then probably in November or December, they’ll do the same thing again. I’ve just been moving things in my car that we need here or that we don’t want them moving.
Susan Nixon says
You’re leaving and finally the pears give you a great harvest. =) Something to remember Texas by for the next year.
Judy Laquidara says
On one hand, I feel bad that we’re leaving now and keep telling myself . . even the apricots might have produced next year; but we could sit there another 5 years and get nothing. This year we got lots of peach jam, plum jelly and some pear preserves. I’ll be happy with what we did get and happier to be in MO.
Laura Haynes says
I am a similar height as you, and am wondering if you have any difficulty or run a risk of burning your arm as you put jars in/out of your tallest canner, especially when it’s on top of the stove? I can see where the smaller ones would be easier to access and also quicker to bring the smaller volume of water up to pressure. Plus running it on camp stove may put it at a lower height.
Maybe, would you put a link in the blog to where you wrote about all your different canners.
Judy Laquidara says
Yes! I do burn my arm occasionally on the big canner – especially if using it inside. The camp chef stove is a bit lower and it makes enough of a difference that I don’t burn myself getting jars out. I would not recommend trying to use the big canner with a microwave over the stove.
If you go to the blog, in the right sidebar there is a search bar (towards the bottom) and you can search “All American Canner” and find all the posts I have done. I will try to do a comprehensive post later but just don’t have the time for a while.
Nelle Coursey says
Girl, you are working way too hard! You need to slow down! And I am so sorry you had to knit all the way to MO. I know it was pure torture for you!! LOL
Sharon says
Oh the sacrifices we make so our guys are comfortable.