A few years ago we had an overabundance of pears and searched for a new way of canning them. I came across the following recipe in my Ball Blue Book of canning recipes. I love mincemeat with fruit and spices, but not with real meat added. A pint of this mincemeat mixed with some tart apples makes a superb pie. Warmed up, it works as a yummy sauce over ice cream or pound cake. It is one of those recipes with lots of possibilities!
Pear Mincemeat
7 pounds Bartlett pears
1 lemon
2 pounds raisins
6 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
1 cup vinegar
Wash, quarter, and core pears. Wash and cut lemon into quarters, removing seeds. Coarsely chop pears and lemon. Add remaining ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat; simmer 40 minutes. Ladle hot mincemeat into hot pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 25 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 10 pints.
