How to Make Pear Relish - Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs
This month's notes: February 2019: Stored US apples are still available. See your state's crop availability calendar for more specific dates of upcoming crops.
Valentine's Day - February 14 - See this website for Valentines Day history, facts and Amazon's top picks for fast, easy, inexpensive gifts for the man, woman or children in your life!
Easter will be April 16, 2017 - if you want to take your children to a free Easter egg hunt - see our companion website to find a local Easter Egg hunt!
And we have home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. You can access recipes and other resources from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me! Also make your own ice cream; see How to make ice cream and ice cream making equipment and manuals. Have fun, eat healthier and better tasting, and save money by picking your own locally grown fruit and vegetables, and then using our easy directions

How to Make Homemade Pear Relish
PDF print version coming

Also, see our easy illustrated directions about how to can pears, pear picking tips, make pear or applesauce, pear or apple butter and our list of apple festivals!
Ingredients
- 2 gallons of pears
- 6 large onions
- 6 sweet green peppers
- 6 sweet red peppers
- 1 bunch celery (washed thoroughly)
- 3 cups of dry, granulated (table) sugar. Yes, you can substitute an equivalent amount of honey or agave; or even use Stevia (or Splenda) to taste. The sweetener does not affect the preserving safety qualities, although Stevia and Splenda result in a darker, runnier relish.
- 1 tablespoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 5 cups vinegar (5%)
Equipment
- Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
- Jar funnel ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
- At least 1 large pot
- Jelly strainer (see step 6) or cheesecloth
- Large spoons and ladles
- Ball jars (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some "big box" stores carry them - about $8 per dozen quart jars including the lids and rings
- 1 Water Bath Canner (a huge pot with a lifting rack to sanitize the jars of pear jelly after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) You CAN use a large pot instead, but the canners are deeper, and have a rack top make lifting the jars out easier. If you plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment.
- Vegetable / fruit peeler ($1.99 at the grocery store)
Recipe and Directions
Yield: About 10 pint jars
Step 1 - Selecting the pears
The
most important step! You need pears that are sweet if you want to
cut down on the added sugar.
Step 2 - How many pears and where to get them
You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store. But for large quantities, you'll find that real farmer's markets, like the State Farmer's Market in Forest Park, Georgia have them at the best prices. In 2007, they were available from late September at $12 to $20 per bushel.
You'll get about 14 quarts of pear jelly per bushel of
pears.
Step 3 -Wash and peel the pears!
I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the pears, onions, peppers and celery in cold water and remove any stickers or labels on them.
Using a vegetable peeler or a paring knife, peel the pears.
Step 4 -Chop the pears and vegetables!
Chopping
the the pears is much faster if you use one of those pear corer/segmenters - you
just push it down on an pear and it cuts it into segments.
Using a paring knife, be sure to remove any seeds, hard parts (usually the part around the seeds) and any mush or dark areas.
Then either chop pears and vegetables into 1/4 inch pieces by hand or put them through a food processor or chopper and pulse it a few times.
Step 5 - Measure out the sweetener
Depending upon which type of sweetener you prefer (sugar, no-sugar, Stevia (but you will have to experiment with amount, each brand of Stevia is a different concetration), or Splenda, or a mix of sugar and Stevia (or Splenda) or fruit juice) you will need to use a different amount of sugar .
Type of relish | Sweetener |
regular | 3 cups of sugar |
lower sugar | 1.5 cups of sugar |
lowest sugar | 3 cups Splenda (or about 1/3 that if you use Stevia, which is my preference) |
lower sugar | 1 cups sugar and 2 cups Splenda or about 1 cup of Stevia) |
no sugar | 3 cups Splenda or about 1 cup Stevia |
natural | 3 cups fruit juice (grape, pear, apple or mixed) |
Step 6 - Mix remaining ingredients and cool overnight
Stir in the sugar, allspice, salt and vinegar into the chopped mixture and let stand, covered, overnight in the refrigerator.
Step 7 - Heat the mixture
Pretty
simple! Heat the relish mixture to boiling; and then simmer for 5
minutes.
Yes, this picture shows skins (I didn't have a photo of this step with peeled pears) and you CAN leave the skins on; it just clogs up the strainer more and takes more time. On the plus side, leaving on the skins usually imparts a little more flavor, plus the color of the skins to the finished jelly!
Step 8 - Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on
Fill
them to within 1/2-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat
the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put the filled jars into the canner!
This
is where the jar tongs and lid lifter come in really handy!
Step 9 - Process the jars in the boiling water bath
Keep
the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling, If
the water stops boiling when you add the jars, start timing from when it
returns to a boil. Then boil for 20 minutes (at sea level up to 1,000 of
elevation, above that, see the table below)
Note: Some people don't even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, (this is called "open kettle" processing). Open kettle process is universally condemned by all of the authorities (USDA, FDA, Universities - Clemson, UGa, Minnesota, WI, Michigan, etc,.) as being inherently dangerous and conducive to botulism. It does not create a sterile environment; it does create the ideal environment for botulism to grow.
Putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage! To me, it makes little sense to put all the working into making the jam and then not to process the jars to be sure they don't spoil or risk your family's health.!
Pack hot relish into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a Boiling Water Canner.
Recommended process time for Pear Relish in a boiling-water canner. | |||||
Process Time at Altitudes of | |||||
Style of Pack | Jar Size | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 3,000 ft | 3,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
Hot | Pints | 20 min | 25 | 30 | 35 |
Step 10 - Remove and cool the jars - Done!
Lift
the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping
them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove
the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them
quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once
the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the
lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your
finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not
sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still
use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a
bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid)
and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them!
This document was adapted from "So Easy to Preserve", 5th ed. 2006. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens. Revised by Elizabeth L. Andress. Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., Extension Foods Specialists.
Other Equipment:
From left to right:
- Jar lifting tongs
helpful to pick up hot jars - Lid lifter
- to remove lids from the pot
of hot water - Lid
- disposable - you may only
use them once - Ring
- holds the lids on the jar until after
the jars cool - then you don't need them - Canning jar funnel
- to fill the jars
![]() *
All the tools you need for hot waterbath canning - in one comprehensive set!
Average Customer Review:
|
Home Canning KitsFeatures:
This is the same type of standard canner that my grandmother used
to make everything from pear jelly to jams and jellies to tomato and
spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need: the
canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel,
labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. You'll
never need anything else except more jars and lids! |
![]() |
Deluxe Food Strainer & Sauce MakerD220-DLXRetail:
$89.95Our
price: $69.00
With the Deluxe Food Strainer/Sauce Maker, you can make
creamy pear sauce and smooth tomato sauce without having
to peel and core! This multi-use strainer forces food
through a stainless steel screen, automatically
separating the juice and pulp from the seeds, shins, and
stems. Perfect for purees, creamed soups, baby foods,
pie filling, juices, jams, and more. Save time, effort,
and money by preparing your own tasty sauces to be used
immediately or boiled for future use. Do bushels with
ease and in a fraction of the time. Includes the
tomato/apple screen with easy twist on design and
instruction/recipe booklet.
The Deluxe model comes with the standard Tomato/Pear Screen; as well as the Berry Screen, Pumpkin Screen, and Grape Spiral. Note
|
![]() |
Mirro Stainless Steel Foley Food Mill
|
|
Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc.Need lids, rings and replacement jars? Or pectin to make jam, spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes? Get them all here, and usually at lower prices than your local store!
Get them all here at the best prices on the internet! |
Picking Tips
[General picking tips and a guide to each fruit and vegetable] [How
much do I need to pick?
(Yields - how much raw makes how much cooked or frozen)] [Selecting
the right varieties to pick] [All
about apple varieties - which to pick and why!] [Picking tips for Vegetables]
[ Strawberry picking tips]
[ Blueberries picking tips]
Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes
[ All About Home Canning, Freezing and Making Jams, Pickles, Sauces, etc. ] [FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems] [Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!] [Free canning publications to download and print]