I’ve had a lot of fun figuring out what to do with those Kieffer pears that grow in my yard. Here is yet another summer delight that I thought I would share with you – pear butter, only I’ve tweaked a recipe so that no sugar is used to sweeten it.

Yield: 4-5 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pears
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup honey
juice of one lemon
dash cinnamon (or two cinnamon sticks)

Peel, core, and quarter the pears then dice into 1″ chunks.

Place with remaining ingredients into a Crock pot. Cook on high for 5 hours.

Transfer to a blender, reserving leftover liquid. Purée, adding a few tablespoons of liquid if necessary to achieve spreading consistency. Pour into jars, pressing out air bubbles if needed. Leave 1/2″ of space at the top of the jar.

Screw on two-piece lids and boil for 20 minutes in a water bath.

Remove from water and allow to cool for 6-8 hours.

Pear butter tastes great when spread onto a slice of toast or added to oatmeal for a warm winter breakfast. The jars will store for about a year.