Pears, pears, pears !!

Half bushel baskets of Bartlett pears ( upper basket) and an unknown French butter pear ( two lower baskets).

I came home from an amazing week of yoga at Feathered Pipe Ranch to discover that our pear tree had been busy.

Here is the limb of the tree the other morning. See the bamboo pole ?? That helps hold up the heavily laden branches. And notice how foggy it is, classic Santa Cruz summer weather.

I do love pears they are so versatile and can be made into many things. Recipes will be shared. However most people have trouble with the fact that pears do not ripen on the tree. You must pick them when they are at a certain point, not to early, not to late. Then you must store them until they are ripe but not mushy, another tricky determination. I have spent years learning these finer points. Email me if you want to know them :-)

Anyway, here is a favorite. You can use it on ice cream, yogurt, pancakes or waffles.

Spiced Pear Topping

5 cups peeled, cored and chopped pears
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a dash of cardamon and cloves
Yield: about 5 cups.


Peel, core and slice your ripe pears. I like to use that slicer/cored device you can see on the chopping board.

In the large pot, add the pears, water, sugars and spices.
Cook until the pears are soft, about 40 minutes to an hour.

It will not be thick like jam. If you are unsure if the pears are soft, take a spoonful out of the pot and let it cool a moment and taste it. You can also check the spices this way.
Once the pears are soft you can either can it or pour it into a jar and into your fridge.
If you are canning it, process it in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. If you are storing in your fridge it should last one to two months.

Some people eat it straight out of the jar !!