A day in the life of a Pennsylvania girl

picking pears

Yesterday, my boys and I picked pears at my sister-in-laws house. She has a great pear tree that is absolutely loaded! We were invited to pick to our heart's content...and we did!



We picked a little over a bushel basket which I believe is considered a "peck" if I was buying it at the farm stand.



I am planning to make pear butter and pies and I will be sharing the goods with relatives. Speaking of relatives...that's my nephew up in the pear tree.



This will be my very first time canning and I am nervous! I will be following directions from the "Ball" canning cookbook so I know I will be using a good recipe. The recipe calls for 20 medium sized pears and yields 4 pints of pear butter. These pears are small so I am figuring 40 pears for one recipe.



I will let the pears ripen for a couple days before cooking them.



From what I have read, pears do not ripen until they are picked. They are picked hard and then will begin to soften after a couple days.



I am a total beginner at this canning thing, so please, wish me luck!!!!

I will post my canning endeavor as soon as I am finished. Look for my "Pear Butter" post on Monday or Tuesday. Until then, I will be posting other things.