And the crockpot pear butter is here. We ended up adding sugar to this one -- white and brown to get the taste right. the crockpot didn't seem to cook the pears through though. We ended up having to let it cool and then starting it fresh the next day. First, we blended it up in the food processors, then we finished cooking it in a pot in the stove.
My biggest suggestion though would be to read up before you try. There's a fair bit of assumed knowledge like never put jars directly onto the bottom of the pot when boiling them; the rattling from the boiling water can cause them to shatter.
After the jars are sterilized, you've loaded your product in, and got the lids and rings on, and are about to put them back in the boiling water to set them, don't tighten the rings all the way. You might get a tee tiny bit of seepage, but, if you do tighten them up, the lids won't pop in/set right. Once they're out of the water bath, are on the counter, and the little center part has popped in, THEN you tighten the ring.
Just because your center has popped, doesn't mean it will stay that way. Sometimes, they just don't set right. That's why you should leave them on the counter in full view for a couple of days to make sure. Also note that the contents do get darker over time. It's nothing to worry about.
Also, the lids (not the rings but the lids that sit in the rings) can only be used once and they lids cannot have any dings in them no matter how tee tiny to avoid bacteria.
There's also special consideration when dealing with tomatoes because of their acidity.
And last but not least, a lot of these recipes call for a shit ton of sugar. I'd say treat the recipes as you would anything you cook - as guidelines. Add less, taste, and adjust. You can always add more, but you can't take away. I know we ended up adding WAY less than called for. You can also find recipes that call for faux sugars like splenda. We didn't do those because I'm allergic, but they certainly are a viable option
The minted pears is here.
And the crockpot pear butter is here. We ended up adding sugar to this one -- white and brown to get the taste right. the crockpot didn't seem to cook the pears through though. We ended up having to let it cool and then starting it fresh the next day. First, we blended it up in the food processors, then we finished cooking it in a pot in the stove.
My biggest suggestion though would be to read up before you try. There's a fair bit of assumed knowledge like never put jars directly onto the bottom of the pot when boiling them; the rattling from the boiling water can cause them to shatter.
After the jars are sterilized, you've loaded your product in, and got the lids and rings on, and are about to put them back in the boiling water to set them, don't tighten the rings all the way. You might get a tee tiny bit of seepage, but, if you do tighten them up, the lids won't pop in/set right. Once they're out of the water bath, are on the counter, and the little center part has popped in, THEN you tighten the ring.
Just because your center has popped, doesn't mean it will stay that way. Sometimes, they just don't set right. That's why you should leave them on the counter in full view for a couple of days to make sure. Also note that the contents do get darker over time. It's nothing to worry about.
Also, the lids (not the rings but the lids that sit in the rings) can only be used once and they lids cannot have any dings in them no matter how tee tiny to avoid bacteria.
There's also special consideration when dealing with tomatoes because of their acidity.
And last but not least, a lot of these recipes call for a shit ton of sugar. I'd say treat the recipes as you would anything you cook - as guidelines. Add less, taste, and adjust. You can always add more, but you can't take away. I know we ended up adding WAY less than called for. You can also find recipes that call for faux sugars like splenda. We didn't do those because I'm allergic, but they certainly are a viable option
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