Preserve It! For a Lofty Dessert!
Seckel pears are crisp, juicy, and quite sweet with a slightly spicy flavor profile when ripe. They are very small in size (about one-inch diameter and three-inches in height – about the size of a small lemon), making them perfect for canning beautiful halves of fruit.
Preserve pears for a quick treat
These pears would be wonderful spooned over a bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream while putting together a jigsaw puzzle or playing a board game. Or how about as a topping (both pear and juice) over fresh shredded cabbage with shavings of parmesan? A special treat during the winter months, for sure.
This recipe comes from The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving, 2023.
Bourbon-Vanilla Seckel Pears
Makes about 5 one-pint jars
Ingredients
3 ½ cups water
1 cup honey
½ cup bourbon
1 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, split
4 lbs. unpeeled Seckel pears*, halved and cored
Instructions
Prepare boiling-water canner or atmospheric steam canner. Heat cleaned jars in canner until ready to use, do not boil (simmering water at 180 degrees F). Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
Bring first four ingredients to a simmer in a 4-quart stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven over medium heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add to syrup.
Add pear halves and simmer five minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Fill a hot jar with hot pear halves, leaving half-inch headspace. Ladle hot syrup over fruit, leaving half-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Water must cover jars by at least one inch in boiling water canner or come to the base of the rack in a steam canner. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil in a boiling-water canner or until there’s a steady stream of steam coming from the steam canner for 1 minute. Start timing and process pint jars: 15 minutes at 0 – 1,000 feet elevation, 20 minutes at 1,001 – 3,000 feet, 25 minutes at 3,001 – 6,000 feet, 30 minutes 6,001 – 8,000 feet.
Turn off heat. For boiling water canner, remove lid and let jars stand five minutes. For atmospheric steam canner, let canner sit undisturbed for five minutes, then remove lid. Remove jars and cool on a toweled surface 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal (they should not flex when center is pressed). Label, date, and store in a cool dark place.
*Pears may be peeled, if desired. Bartlett or d’Anjou pears may be substituted; core and quarter to fit into jars.
The UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County are a great resource for answers to your food safety and preserving questions. To submit a question, click the button below and Ask a Master Food Preserver!
This article and recipe by UCCE Master Food Preserver Laurie Lewis originally appeared in Village Life magazine in December 2025.