14 pounds of pears.

It started out as a simple enough task, I wanted to make some more jam.
I mentioned to my mother in law that I needed to pick up a few more canning supplies. Last year mid process I came to the realization I was missing a few crucial tools such as a jar lifter. She also gave me a copy of the Ball blue book. I think that is when it took a turn for the bigger.

I started to make a list of all the recipes I thought I should try. I then made an accompanying grocery list of all the ingredients I needed to buy. I am now, on a awfully warm for Minnesota September, staring down a fourteen pound box of pears. They are ripe and need to be used.

I already make carrot cake jam (which is really good) and next up is ginger pear preserves, pear almond conserve,cranberry carrot conserve, and summer solstice preserves. Just guess what they all have in common. Winter found a recipe for Black Forest jam which is chocolate cherry but calls for no pears so it can wait.