Slow Cooker Pear Honey Butter – with Canning Instructions!

If you are lucky enough to have a Pear tree, you are in the same place I am – thrilled and hate it at the same time. Our first summer with the tree, only resulted in 4 pears. They were gross! We didn’t know we had to let them ripen for a week before eating them. So, this year I did a lot reading. Fed the trees in the fall and again this spring. And the result – something I’m calling Pearmagedon! Every day I’m picking 20-30 lbs of pears, and I’m constantly processing them.

The first round (that I had to split into two batches) I decided to make Pear Honey Butter. I even used locally sourced honey since our hive isn’t producing enough to share yet. The recipe is really easy and just requires a little patience as you go!

Ingredients

• 10 lbs ripened Pears, peeled, cored, sliced
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Honey

Directions

1. 

   Carefully peel, slice and core your pears. You can do this by hand, but it’s really easy if you have a peeler/slicer. Try to remove all parts of the skin – but small little bits are ok. Place your pear slices inside your slow cooker. Repeat until you fill the crock.
2. Add in the water and honey. Cook on low heat for 10 hours. You can stir if you want to but it’s not necessary. When your pears are done, they will have darkened in color, but wont dry out through cooking.

3. 

   Either use your blender and puree your softened pears in batches until it is done or use an immersion blender to make a smooth consistency.
4. Spoon into your prepared jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process as instructed below!

Canning Instructions: 

1. Place 4 clean pint jars on a rack in your stock pot. Fill the jars and stock pot with cool water until it completely covers the top of the jars. Cover and put on medium heat. Simmer but do not boil.
2. Prepare 4 lid sets, put the bands aside and put the flat lids in a small sauce pan and put on medium heat. Do not boil, but keep warm through the whole process.
3. Prepare your Pear butter according to the directions above.
4. Now, remove the jars from the warm bath. Tip them as you pull them out and pour the water back into the pan. Place them on a towel on the counter with the opening up. Do not dry them! Just put them down and put the funnel in. Put your ingredients in your jars. into each jar until there is about 1/2 inch of space in the top. Once all jars are full, take a plastic or wooden utensil and move it around to get extra air bubbles out.
5. Take the small magnet tool and remove flat lids from their hot bath. Place over top of each jar. By hand screw on the collars, but not too tight! Remember some air still needs to get out of each jar.
6. Place the jars back into the hot stock pot and replace the lid. Turn your temperature up to high. When it starts to do a rolling boil, start a timer for 20 minutes.
7. After the jars have processed for 20 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the lid to the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove all the jars without tipping them and place them back on the towel. Remember – don’t towel them off!