Cardamom Pear Butter

(recipe from Tart and Sweet, by Kelly Geary & Jessie Knadler)

Yield: 7 half-pints

Place the pears, lemon juice, sugar, salt, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves in a large heavy pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat, and continue to stir.. The pears will begin to break down during after about 10 minutes on the stove. You can help this process along with a potato masher.

After about an hour, remove the pot from the heat and blend the pears with an immersion blender in the pot and blend until you’ve reached the desired consistency.

Return the pear butter to the pot, and simmer over medium- high heat for 20 minutes longer, or until butter mounds on a chilled spoon.

Ladle butter into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Check for air bubbles, wipe the rims and seal. Process the jars in boiling hot water for 10 minutes.

Shutterbean Notes:

-If you’re looking for some canning HOW-TO books, I strongly suggest Tart and Sweet, by Kelly Geary & Jessie Knadler & The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, by Rachel Saunders.