Making Pear Preserves - a Family Tradition

My grandmothers peeled and preserved pears and my mother did the same, all from the same pear trees.
Today I gathered pears from my brother Perry's pear tree and I'm spending the afternoon peeling pears, getting them ready to make preserves. They will sit overnight covered with sugar,  and I will cook them tomorrow.

It's not an easy chore - making pear preserves.  First you gather the pears and they are so heavy you can't put many in the bucket at the time.  You have to be careful not to bruise them.  After you peel the pears you cut the pear away from the core in small slices or like apple slices.

Cover with sugar and slowly  boil for 3-4 hours

You need a pan of water for peeling pears, a pan to put the peeled pears in, and another for cooking the pears. You pour  sugar on them and let them stand for a few hours or overnight,  before preserving them by cooking them slowly for a long, long time - all afternoon.  Takes 3-4 hours, depending on how fast they cook.  I usually let them come to a boil and slowly boil so they have thick syrup and the pears become dark

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