Honey Pear Jam Canning Recipe with Pomona's Pectin
20. April 2022
Our friend and guest blogger Chez LaRae worked up this sweet as can bee canning recipe. You can follow LaRae’s amazing food adventures on Instagram and her website. LaRae is a self-taught baker, cooking and baking instructor, recipe developer, and an editor at @thefeedfeed. See LaRae's other recipe guest blog posts.
Have you made jam and wanted to use honey instead of white sugar as the sweetener? We have created a delicious pear jam that is sweetened with honey and laced with aromatic vanilla bean paste. Our recipe was developed using Pomona’s Universal Pectin which is available at many grocery stores or can be purchased online. This special pectin is unsweetened, preservative-free, and jells reliably with very low amounts of any sweetener. So this is a great pectin to try if you are looking to reduce the amount of sugar in your canned jams and jellies or if you want to try natural sweeteners instead.
When using Pomona’s, you will find two small packets of powders in the box: a pouch of pectin and a separate pouch of calcium to make the required calcium water. It may seem intimidating at first, but using Pomona’s is easy once you get the hang of it and a whole new world of alternative sweeteners in canning will be opened up to you.
NOTE: This recipe is specially created to use Pomona’s Universal Pectin for a low sugar recipe. Do not swap pectins.
TIP: For this recipe, we like to use ripe pears that give slightly when pressed on.
Honey Pear Jam Canning Recipe
Recipe was modified from the instruction sheet inside the box of Pomona's Pectin & used by permission ©2022 Chez LaRae
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Preservation method: Water bath canning
Difficulty level: Easy to moderate
Yield: Makes about 2 pint jars or 4 half-pint jars
- 4 cups ripe pears (about two pounds) peeled, cored, and finely chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
- ½ cup water
- 4 tsp calcium water (found in the Pomona’s Universal Pectin box)
- ½ cup honey
- 3 tsp Pomona’s Universal Pectin
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Place the canning rack in the bottom of a boiling water canner, then place empty jars on the rack. Add water to the jars and the canner until the jars are about two-thirds full. Cover the canner and bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.
To make calcium water: In a small, clean jar with a lid, measure ½ cup cold water. Next, measure a ½ teaspoon of calcium powder (the powder is inside the box of Pomona’s Pectin) and place in the jar. Close the lid on the jar and shake well. Any unused calcium water can be stored in the refrigerator for your next canning project.
Place chopped pears, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, vanilla bean with scraped seeds, and ½ cup water in a large Dutch oven. Add 4 tsp of prepared calcium water and stir ingredients well.
In a separate small bowl, add the honey and 3 teaspoons of Pomona’s Pectin and stir well ensuring that the pectin is evenly distributed throughout the honey.
Bring fruit and other ingredients to a full boil in the Dutch oven. Boil for about 15 minutes until the pears are softened. Add more water in ¼ cup increments to prevent scorching. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to achieve the desired consistency. I like my pear jam fairly smooth. Add pectin and honey mixture. Stir vigorously 1-2 minutes to dissolve pectin while mixture returns to a full boil. Remove from heat and discard vanilla bean.
Ladle immediately into prepared jars, leaving ¼” headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads with a moistened towel. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands to finger-tip tight.
Place jars onto a rack in the canner. Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Cover, bring water to a boil. Once boiling, process sauce for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let jars sit in the canner for an additional 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After the jars cool, check seals by pressing the centers of lids with your finger. If the lid springs back, the lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.
Let prepared jars stand at room temperature 24 hours. After 24 hours, decorate with CanningCrafts’ Gingham Honey Bee Jam Jar Decorations. Tie ribbons around the top, and write the contents, date, or gift recipient’s names on the hang tags for gift giving. Store unopened jam in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.
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Want a gift set as sweet as honey… but a lot less sticky? Our Gingham Honey Bee jam jar decoration kit is sure to make your honey-infused gift a memorable one. Each set decorates 12 mason canning jars. Layer yellow gingham & delightful honey bee square cloth jar covers for a look that’s both shaggy and chic.
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