Cooking Resources

Doug58 · 11-29-2018, 09:40 AM

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 · 11-29-2018, 10:18 AM

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

**Katie H** · 11-30-2018, 11:05 PM

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 · 11-30-2018, 11:56 PM

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 · 12-01-2018, 01:19 AM

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 · 12-01-2018, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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. · 12-01-2018, 11:53 AM

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 · 12-01-2018, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roll_Bones

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