Gingery Pear Jam

Gingery, with hints of lemon and orange, this jam is delightful on biscuits or scones. I like to use a variety of pears when making this jam, to give it more texture, while preserving the sweetness. The larger amount of ginger makes a very gingery jam, while the lesser amount (of course) is milder.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Yields: 7 1/2 pints

Ingredients

• 5  lbs pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 5  cups sugar
• 1 -2  tablespoon fresh ginger, grated (or substitute 1-2 T. candied ginger, minced)
• 1  tablespoon lemon zest
• 1  tablespoon orange zest
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice

Directions

1. Prepare 1/2 pint jars, lids, and water bath canner. Place a small plate in the freezer to chill.
2. After chopping, puree roughly half the pears in a food processor until smooth. Alternatively, you may grate all the pears. Or you may use an immersion blender in the pot when half cooked. The goal is to have a jam with a smooth pulpy texture, punctuated by small chunks of fruit. Without the smooth, pulpy pears, the taste is more like pears in ginger sauce.
3. Add all ingredients to a 5-6 quart dutch oven. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until thickened, stirring occaisionally. (20-30 minutes, depending on how juicy the fruit is).
4. Test thickness of jam by putting a small spoonful on a chilled plate, and tilting. If the jam remains mounded and doesn't drip, it's done.
5. Fill jars, leaving a 1/4" headspace, cap, and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.