Pear Ginger Jam

Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint jars. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

In a large,nonreactive pot,combine the chopped pears, sugar, and ginger juice. Cook over medium heat until the fruit can easily be smashed with the back of a wooden spoon. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to break the fruit down into a mostly smooth sauce.

Add the liquid pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Let boil for a full 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rins, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

*To make ginger juice, shred an 8-ounce hunk of peeled fresh ginger in a blender or food processor with 1/2 cup of water. Pour the ginger pulp into a cheesecloth-lined sieve and squeeze out the liquid. Discard the remaining ginger pulp.

Note As long as you choose a thin-skinned pear like a Bartlett or Anjou, there is no need to peel the pears for this recipe. I find that the skin just melts into the jam. However, with tougher skinned pears like Bosc, I would recommend peeling before cooking the fruit down into jam.