Moodling three years later... and a pear jam recipe

Three years on, I'm still here, moodling away. I had no way of knowing, three years ago, how much I would enjoy posting anecdotes, musings, songs, and stories for friends near and far to read.

So, the annual run down: I've posted 685 moodlings with 177 Simple Suggestions, received 452 comments (commenters are rare on many smaller blogs, I've noticed, but I do love comments and have made a few friends through them...) and had over 62,000 hits. I post these stats because every September it's fun to look back and see how things have progressed over the previous year.

Many thanks to my hubby and daughters for their patience with me and my little hobby, and to other family and friends for your comments and encouragements -- it's always nice to hear from you, though that's not why I moodle. I moodle because I enjoy it, and because there's always something interesting going on, something worth sharing. And sharing good things is always worthwhile!

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Speaking of good things, making pear jam has been taking up a fair bit of my time in the past week. Our pear tree gave us more than 54 gallons of fruit (200+ litres) and we only have about ten rapidly ripening gallons (40 litres) left after baking, jamming, dehydrating or giving them away. Unfortunately, last year, the first year I'd tried making pear jam, I forgot to write down my recipe, so my first batch this year (following suggestions from other websites and the pectin package) was far too sweet. So I'm posting my tried and true-to-my-liking version here for posterity  -- and for other people who might like to attempt it! It's pretty easy...

Maria's Pear Jam

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring to a boil:

4 cups peeled and cored pears

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

a dab of butter (to keep it from foaming too much)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger (you might be more adventurous with your spices/herbs)

1 cup apple juice

In a separate dish, stir together:

1/4 to 1/2 cup of white sugar or equivalent sweetner (1/3 is enough with our pears)

1 package of no sugar needed pectin

Add sugar/pectin to boiling pear mixture and keep at a rolling boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, mash lightly, and pour into prepared canning jars, processing the finished product in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to ensure a good seal.

Enjoy!