Preserving the Flavors of Fall: Making Pear-Cranberry Jam with Bonnie Shershow

This past Tuesday evening, a group of locals enthusiastic about eating and preserving farm-fresh food gathered at Waltham Fields Community Farm to take part in our holiday jam workshop. Bonnie Shershow of Bonnie's Jams explained her process for making delicious jams using only fresh fruit, water, and much less sugar than many commercial jams on the market. With supplies on hand, Bonnie showed participants her step-by-step jam making process and sent them home with the fruits of their labor: a lovely jar of pear-cranberry jam! The following the recipe was used during our workshop. Make it at home for family and friends!

Bonnie's Jams
www.bonniesjams.com

Pear-Cranberry Jam
Makes approx. 12-13 8 oz. jars

The Ingredients:

• 5 lbs of pears (approx. 14 pears), peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
• 6 cups of water
• 2 lbs of whole fresh cranberries
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (approx. 8 lemons)

How to Make it:
In a large pan, place cut pears and water over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Add the cranberries and sugar; continue to cook for 30 minutes. Mash any pears that are still in chunks and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes. Add the lemon juice and cook another 5 minutes. Fill clean jars and cap with new lids. The temperature of the jam should be 210 degrees F when placed in the jars.