Pears are a fantastic choice for juicing! They produce a naturally sweet, flavorful juice that’s hard to beat. The secret to a great batch is using fully ripe fruit—in fact, those “windfalls” that have dropped to the ground are often the best candidates. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
Prepping Your Fruit
Once you’ve finished harvesting or gathering your pears, give them a thorough wash. This is especially important for windfalls, which tend to be a bit dirty. For the best flavor, stick to fully ripe pears; they have the richest aroma.
The best part? Unlike canning or drying pears, you don’t need to peel them or even remove the cores for juicing. Just chop the fruit into smaller chunks and make sure to cut away any bruised, rotten, or bug-eaten spots.
Two Ways to Juice Your Pears
There are two main ways to get the job done:
- Using a steam juicer
- The stovetop pot method
Using a Steam Juicer
For this method, take your prepped, chopped fruit and fill up the steamer basket. Fill the bottom reservoir with water and assemble the juicer according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t forget to make sure the drain hose is clamped shut! Place the unit on the stove and bring the water to a boil. After about 30 to 40 minutes, you can start filling sterilized bottles with the hot juice. Just be careful—it’s boiling hot, so watch out for steam burns!
The Stovetop Pot Method
If you don’t have a juicer, you can easily use a standard pot. All you need to do is wash and chop the fruit. Here’s a simple recipe to follow:
- Prepare about 2 pounds (1 kg) of fruit.
- Place the chopped pears into a large pot.
- Add about 2 pounds (1 kg) of sugar to the pot. If your pears are already very sweet, feel free to cut back on the sugar or skip it entirely.
- Add just enough water to barely cover the pears.
- Place the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil.
- Let the mixture simmer gently until the fruit completely breaks down.
- Set up a second pot with a fine-mesh strainer or a cheesecloth draped over the top.
- Pour the pear mash through the cloth/strainer to catch the juice.
- Bring the collected juice to a boil one more time with a splash of lemon juice, then pour it into your bottles.
Pro Tip: Pear season usually overlaps with apple season, and windfalls from both trees make a great team! Try juicing them together or experimenting with other fruits to give your pear juice a unique, signature twist.