Move Over Applesauce!

At least for now. I love apples. Love applesauce. LOVE apple season in general…but where I live, it’s not that time yet.

It’s pear season.

And while they are not the same, I am treating them as equals.

In my kitchen, that is.

Yesterday I made “pearsauce”. Yes, All one word. Like “applesauce”, because, you see, I’m fair and promote equality.

It was so easy, and a huge relief to me because I had amassed 15 pears from the last 3 or 4 CSA boxes and some of them were starting to get a little too soft. I really, really didn’t want to let any of these organic beauties go to waste!

It was perfect timing too, because I already had the boiling water canner going, so it was no big to drop a jar in to seal it up for later. I could have just popped it in the fridge, but I didn’t want it to go to waste there either, and canning it allows me to save it for the perfect time. 🙂

Super, SUPER easy guys.

I started with 15 pears. I peeled, cored, and chopped them into large hunks. I put the hunked pears into a large sauce pot (which really wasn’t necessary…a medium sized one would have given me plenty of room) and added 1/4 cup of water, several shakes  of cinnamon, a splash of homemade vanilla,  and a pinch of salt. I cooked them over medium heat until they were all tender. Some were more tender than others, but it really didn’t take long to cook them all down. *Maybe* ten minutes, tops.

Too bad I didn’t have a little more room in that pot.

Once tender, I added the whole (huge, gigantic) pot of pears to the food processor.

Then, I puree. (As if you didn’t see that coming.)

Once smooth, you can either eat warm, chill and eat (within a few days) or fill up jars and water bath can for 20 minutes. I chose the latter.

15 pears made ONE pint jar.

ONE.

That means if you eat 1 cup of “pearsauce”, you are eating 7.5 pears.

I would probably stick to 1/4 cup. (Or 1.875 pears.)

What I am more likely to do is save my sweet little jar for fall/winter baking. Baking I can’t eat, but can certainly gift. 🙂

Another idea? Leave out the cinnamon, vanilla and salt, and you have baby food. 🙂 It would freeze well too. Would be awesome mixed with avocado (also in season right now!) for your wee one. 

Want some good reasons to eat pears? Check this out:

and in the interest of equality:

So there you have it. Pearsauce. Easy, nutritious, delicious, and NO added sugar.

Eat well, beauties!