Where did I go wrong?

[Doug58]

My son and I found a pear tree on our property with little pears that didn't really taste good (mealy). I believe my son looked it up and said they are Bradford pears. Anyway we decided to make jelly. I have never done this before. Here are the exact steps we took and the results.

We picked about 1/3 of a bushel of pears/washed them and then mashed them in a blender and cooked them with water for about an hour. We drained all the juice and returned it to the pot. We brought it back to a rolling boil and added sugar (1/2 what the recipe we found called for but tasted fine) - we added three boxes of pectin. Finished the process and canned them. All went fine and looked good. Next day tried it and it tasted and looked great but had not jelled any where near enough. We heated the jars in the canner and returned the "jelly" to the pan and brought to a rolling boil "again" and added 2 more boxes of pectin and repeated the canning process. Following morning, same thing - looked fine/tasted fine but had only slightly jelled more then it was before. Last night we heated the jars again in the canner and repeated the process "again" ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH this is getting old. We added one more box of pectin and one box of gelatin. This morning it has jelled “slightly” more but still not what I would call jelly and now it is milky white in color and not the clear darker brown it was before. All together we have 6 boxes of pectin and one box of gelatin in there. What did I do wrong? There are still a lot more pears on the tree so I may give it another shot in a smaller amount. Not going to waste this, it still tastes fine just not very appealing to look at LOL

 

[Doug58]

One last thing - we got about 6 qts. total that should be jelly

 

[Katie H]

Sounds like you are going in circles.

We have a pear tree that has been struck by lightening several times and produces some questionable pears. However, I have had great success making something in our area that is known as "pear honey" and is soooo tasty. You might want to try this. Check out this recipe that has been passed down from several generations of our local families.

Check it out:

PEAR HONEY
​

(Makes about 8 half-pint jars)​

9 cups ripe pears, peeled, cored,
sliced and ground
Grated rind of one lemon
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
5 cups granulated sugar
1 cup crushed pineapple, with
some juice

Combine all ingredients in a large heavy kettle or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to thicken, about 20 to 30 minutes. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Delicious served on toast and especially good on English muffins.

Note: I have successfully used the entire contents of a 20-oz. can of crushed pineapple with complete success.

 

[caseydog]

Bradford Pear trees are ornamental trees, not food trees. So, if it really is a Bradford Pear tree, it is just there to look at.

CD

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Bradford Pears are evil. Weak-kneed, don't cast quality shade, look pretty for a week or two and then drop enough blossom petals that they dirty the lawn for a month. Hated the one the developer planted on our curb lawn in the last house.

 

[Roll_Bones]

Bradford Pear trees are ornamental trees, not food trees. So, if it really is a Bradford Pear tree, it is just there to look at.
CD

That is correct. In fact I have seen them never produce any fruit at all.

Bradford Pears are evil. Weak-kneed, don't cast quality shade, look pretty for a week or two and then drop enough blossom petals that they dirty the lawn for a month. Hated the one the developer planted on our curb lawn in the last house.

The very first tree to bust in half with just a little wind. I also agree they are not worth the one or two week blooming season.
They look nice lining a driveway. Thats what they were designed for.
They do not produce edible fruit, if any fruit at all.

 

[Andy M.]

I don't know why I am defending the Bradford pear tree but here goes.

We have these trees all around our condo development and have never had an issue with their breaking in storms. As with any flowering tree, the petals fall off in the Spring as the leaves fall off in the Fall.

I've never seen any fruit.

 

[caseydog]

That is correct. In fact I have seen them never produce any fruit at all.



The very first tree to bust in half with just a little wind. I also agree they are not worth the one or two week blooming season.

They look nice lining a driveway. Thats what they were designed for.
They do not produce edible fruit, if any fruit at all.

Most of the cities near me, including my city, have banned Bradford Pears. Developers loved them, because the were cheap and grow really fast. But yeah, they are weak and don't have a long lifespan. They are also messy. There are only a few left in my neighborhood, most have died or split in half from wind and ice storms.

CD

 

[Rascal]

Cut it down.

Russ

 

[taxlady]

Cut it down.

Russ

His son "looked it up", so it might not even be a Bradford Pear tree.

 

[jennyema]

My guess is not enough sugar.

Pectin needs sugar to gel, so you should never use less than the recipe calls for.

You also probably overheated it.

If you are using a tried and true recipe you should never have to add more pec tin, but never, ever the additional amount you added.

 

[Pierogi Princess]

I learned the hard way trying to cut back on sugar when making jelly will cause the jelly not to jell properly. I too kept adding pectin, but my friend who has been canning for 40 years said it was because I cut the sugar in half. I never did that again and all my jelly is fine, sweet, but fine.

 

[GotGarlic]

To reduce, or even eliminate, the sugar in your jam, or use alternative sugars like honey and maple syrup, get some Pomona's Pectin. It's a different type of pectin that jells with calcium (included in the package) instead of sugar.

http://www.pomonapectin.com

 

[taxlady]

To reduce, or even eliminate, the sugar in your jam, or use alternative sugars like honey and maple syrup, get some Pomona's Pectin. It's a different type of pectin that jells with calcium (included in the package) instead of sugar.

Jam Today! With Pomona's Universal Pectin® - Pomona PectinPomona Pectin | Low-Sugar Pectin | Sugar-Free | No Preservatives

Cool. I never heard of that before. I remember using pectin once. I hated the excessively sweet jam that I got. Also, at the time we were living in the country and were really, really broke. A friend convinced me to try pectin, because it sets up much quicker than just sugar and fruit. That's really nice when it's hot and there is no AC.

The package claimed I would save money. Well, it was no bargain for me. It used a lot more sugar than I used without pectin. I was making jam with berries that I picked, growing wild on the land around the log cabin we rented. The sugar had to be bought. This Pomona pectin would have been useful.

 

[Pierogi Princess]

Pectin

To reduce, or even eliminate, the sugar in your jam, or use alternative sugars like honey and maple syrup, get some Pomona's Pectin. It's a different type of pectin that jells with calcium (included in the package) instead of sugar.

Jam Today! With Pomona's Universal Pectin® - Pomona PectinPomona Pectin | Low-Sugar Pectin | Sugar-Free | No Preservatives

Thank you Got Garlic, I have never heard of this pectin, I am VERY anxious to get some, I have a savory pallet and not so much for sweets. This pectin sounds exactly what I need for future Jams and Jellies. Thank you for sharing your expertise.