Canning 2012: Pear-apple butter

I’ll start by saying something that I mean as high praise: this wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. All the apple butter recipes I found came with a grave warning that it’s very very time-consuming, and so I was a little wary to try it.  With a few tricks, though, the whole process was actually quite efficient.  I followed this recipe pretty much exactly, using a little honey for sweetener.  I used mostly pears, which didn’t have to be peeled, so I was able to save a lot of time there.  An immersion blender made quick work of pureeing the sauce, and then I just left it in the crock pot on low for 12 hours or so while I was at work.

Don’t ask how I know this, but be aware that a small 4-oz jar is the perfect diameter to slip down the garbage disposal while you’re washing it.  Luckily, there’s just enough room to pull it out with pliers.  20 minutes of processing and 12 little lid pops later, and voila!  Complete canning success.