Here is the mincemeat, I use it as filling for thumbprint cookies and in tart shells, it's yummy.

Old-time Pear Mincemeat
(Farm Journal's Freezing & Canning Cookbook 1973)
Makes 9 pints

7 lbs ripe Bartlett pears
1 lemon
2 lbs seedless raisins
6 3/4 c sugar
1 c vinegar
1 Tblsp ground cloves
1 Tblsp ground cinnamon
1 Tblsp ground nutmeg
1 Tblsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger

Core and quarter pears. Quarter lemon, removing seeds.
Put pears, lemons and raisins through chopper.
Combine remaing ingredients in a large kettle.
Add chopped fruit mixture.
Bring to a boil over medium heat; simmer 40 minutes.
Pack at once in hot pint jars, leaving 1/2" head space. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath 25 minutes.
Remove jars from canner and complete seals unless closures are self-sealing types.

I have the pear preserves recipe at home, I'll try to remember to post that tonight, and not a canning recipe, my my all time favorite dessert is this Maple and Pear Cobbler, although Iusually make it in one big pan instead of little individual ones:

Maple and Pear Cobbler
3 pounds ripe Barlett pears, peeled, quartered, cored
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon (generous) ground nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Topping
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
9 tablespoons half and half
9 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melted butter
Sugar
Ground nutmeg

1 cup chilled whipping cream
Additional pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut pears crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine in large bowl with maple syrup, flour, vanilla extract and ground nutmeg. Divide among six 2/3-cup custard cups of soufflé dishes. Dot tops with butter. Bake filling until hot and bubbling, about 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, Prepare Topping. Mix first 3 ingredients in processor. Add 6 tablespoons chilled butter and cut in until mixture resembles fine meal. Transfer to large bowl. Mix half and half, 6 tablespoons syrup and vanilla in another bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Working quickly, drop batter in three mounds, 1 heaping tablespoon per mound, atop hot filling in each cup. Brush topping with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Immediately return cups to oven and bake 8 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375°F. and bake until toppings are golden and just firm to touch, about 14 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat 1 cup chilled cream with 3 tablespoons maple syrup to soft peaks. Serve cobblers warm with whipped cream. Drizzle additional maple syrup over.

Annie

The pear mincemeat is fine. It's all high-acid ingredients.

Carol

Yes, Willow, I'm that Annie. And, as Carol says, the mincemeat is all high acid ingredients, plus vinegar. It's fine and I like it much better than real mincemeat!

Now, to remember Carol's preserve recipe, it's my favorite, I've been reminded to get that tonight.

Annie

PEAR BREAD (Really good!)
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 c. peeled and chopped fresh pears (4 med.)
1 c. chopped pecans
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar and eggs, blending well.
Stir in pears, pecans and vanilla. In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients.

Stir dry ingredients into pear mixture, pour the batter into two greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 inch loaf pans, bake 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (about 35 minutes for 12 large muffins).

Cool loaves 10 minutes, then remove from pans and cool on the wire racks.
Makes two loaves.

Deanna

Or you could make this, which is absolutely delicious:

Cranberry Apple Pear Relish

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2 cups golden raisins
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. grated orange rind
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup orange liqueur

1. Combine cranberries, apples, pears, raisins, sugar, orange juice and rind, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, or about 25 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur.

2. Remove jars from canner and ladle relish into jars to within 1/2 inch of rim. Process 10 minutes for half-pints and 15 minutes for pints BWB.

from Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard "Small Batch Preserving"

Carol

Sorry....I'll try to remember, I really will.

Annie

My uncle gave us some pears (not many, but more than we'll eat before they go bad) and apples (the windfalls) from his trees, I need to do something with the pears soon since those are also bruised, though tomorrow is Annie's Salsa day (not to be confused with Prince Spaghetti day LOL).

Poached Pears in Red Wine

For each quart:

2 cups red wine (I used a cheap cab)
1 cup sugar
Add a little cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg (I didn't have cardamom and omitted it)

Bring wine sauce to a hard simmer/soft boil
Peel, quarter and remove seeds from pears
Place clean fruit directly into sterlized canning jar
Pour hot wine over pears leaving 1/2" headspace
Process in a BWB 30 minutes for quarts or 25 minutes for pints.

Upon opening, reheat the wine to make a syrup. Drizzle over pears and vanilla ice cream.

the notes and instructions are Carol's (Readinglady).

Old Fashioned Pear Preserves from Carol (Readinglady)

Yu can also make Pear Preserves if you want chunks of pear suspended in syrup. By weight use equal amounts of pears and sugar. You also need the juice and seeds of one lemon. I wouldn't go over about 4 pounds of fruit because it takes too long to cook larger amounts. This takes several days, but it's mainly waiting and the results are wonderful. Here's what you do:

Day 1: Peel, core and cut firm-ripe pears into chunks or slices. Leave pieces large enough to retain character in preserves. Place pears in acidified water (Fruit Fresh or Ascorbic Acid).

Rinse and drain pears. Place in large bowl and add sugar equal in weight to pears. Add juice of lemon and place pips (seeds) in small bag. It's messy but I also add any of the pulp that was reamed out. Add to bowl. Stir gently
to distribute syrup and refrigerate overnight. Throughout evening stir occasionally to distribute sugar. (I usually don't do this more than once.)

Day 2: Place macerated pears and sugar syrup with lemon seeds in bag in large pan. Bring to a boil and cook about 10 minutes, skimming foam. Reduce temperature and continue to cook (about 20 minutes) until pears are translucent and candied. Turn off heat and leave pears and syrup overnight.
(This can be room temperature.) Cover pan with a cloth, not a lid (to prevent condensation).

Day 3: Using a slotted spoon lift pears from syrup and place in a strainer. Collect any additional syrup in a bowl beneath the strainer. (I drained syrup left in pan into a bowl and washed the pan because the syrup was
crystallized along the rim then I put the syrup back.) Bring syrup to a boil and cook to gel point stirring frequently. (Depending on how thick you want the syrup, this can be anywhere from 218-222°.) You can also use the frozen plate test.

The advantage is you get to thicken the syrup just the way you like without cooking the delicate pears to the point of disintegration.

Return the pears to syrup and boil 1 minute to reheat them. Pull off heat and let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This allows fruit to equalize with the syrup so it doesn't float to the top of the jar.)

Place preserves in sterilized jars and BWB 5 minutes or clean, hot jars and BWB 10 minutes.

This recipe is my favorite jam recipe, ever, one of those "OMG, how did I miss out on this" preserves. It's one of the few preserves I make that I don't share, it's ALL MINE!!!

Happy Canning.

Annie

Nancy

Pear Mincemeat...
for pies and cookies
24 large hard pears
2 (1 lb.) pkgs. seedless raisins
6 cups sugar
3 lemons
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons ginger
Wash, peel and core pears. Squeeze lemons for
juice. Grind pears, raisins and lemons with
coarse blade of food chopper. Combine all
ingredients. Cook until mixture is tender and
thick, about 30 - 40 minutes. Pack into clean, hot
pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe
sealing edge, adjust lids and process in boiling
water canner for 10 minutes.
Yield: about 8 pints.

I've been contemplating what to do with the last 8 hard pears from my brother's neighborhood. I have enough pear honey to last a long long time. Plus some in light syrup in pints. Those didn't turn out so well, they are still hard around where the core was cut out but mushy on the outside. We will still eat them but for now I'm considering them part of my hurricane preparedness supplies.

You are lucky!

I heartily recommend pears in wine, as ajfeisty has kindly posted.

With very firm pears, such as you seem to have, you can poach them in the spiced-sweetened-wine for 20 minutes or so and then hot pack. Plus, then you get to drink the leftover pear-flavoured mulled wine while the jars process!

You can also poach pears in white wine---try a reisling or a gewurtztraminner, spiced with vanilla, ginger, and allspice.

Z

PEAR-GINGER CONSERVE

Time: 30 minutes preparation; 50 minutes cooking; 15 minutes processing.

4 Lbs ripe pears, peeled and chopped (about 9 C)
3 C sugar
1/2 C lemon juice
4 tsp grated lemon zest (no white pith)
1/4 C minced crystallized (or candied) ginger
1 cinnamon stick

Prepare 6 half-pint canning jars (run them through the dishwasher and leave them in the hot machine, or wash the jars in hot soapy water, rinse, and hold in hot clear water)

Combine pears with remaining ingredients in large saucepot. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly until thick, stirring to prevent sticking, about 30 minutes. Mixture will mound up on spoon. Remove cinnamon stick.

Pour into prepared jars, seal, and process:

Fill jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/4 inch headspace between the top of food and lid
Run a wooden spoon around the jar between the food and the glass to release any trapped air bubbles.
Wipe the rim clean. Place lid on jar and screw bands securely, but don't use force.
Place the jars in a large stockpot or canning pot, leaving enough space between jars for water to circulate.
Add boiling water to cover jars by 2". Return to a full boil.
Cover pot and process for fifteen minutes.
Carefully remove jars with tongs or jar lifter and allow to cool.
Test seals - there should be an indentation in the lid. Refrigerate any unsealed jars.