Cinnamon Pears

These pears are not your typical sweet and syrupy pear preserve.  The main liquid is vinegar which makes a wonderful counter balance to the sweetness of the sugar.  Add in cinnamon and cloves and you have a wonderful treat for a winter evening.  This is based off of a number of different old recipes. I hope that you will give it a try.

7 lbs pears, cored and quarted

6 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

1 t whole cloves

6 c cider vinegar

3 c white wine

8 c sugar or honey

Heat the vinegar, wine and sugar to boiling.  Add cinnamon and cloves. Stir until until sugar is dissolved. Reduce to a simmer and add the pears.  Simmer until the pears are tender.  Remove the pears and set aside.  Return the liquid to a boil.  Reduce until it become a syrup.  Distribute the pears and spices in your jars.  Cover with the syrup.  Process for 15 mins for pints and 25 for quarts.  Yield ~6 pint/3 quarts.

Note: I used the cinnamon sticks to hold the pears below the level of the liquid so there was NO chance of them floating and discoloring.