Pear Butter {canning}

So just now I just put a Pear Butter Bread Pudding in the fridge to soak for the day- a total experiment that must be taste tested before I post the recipe, but I think its going to be a yummy dessert for tonight AND it used my latest project...Pear butter!

The hubby and I spent the better part of Sunday stirring big pots of pear butter on the stove. It is my first real experience with canning from start to finish and I loved it, well mostly... my back started hurting and I had to pull a chair up next to the stove to rest once in a while...being almost 5 months pregnant next to a hot stove all day didn't really mix. Anyways...this whole canning experience begun because my husband brought home BOXES of fruit. We've already dried a case of bananas, a case of pears and and made 29 pints of pear butter ( in two flavors!). That only leaves one case of pears and two boxes of apples to go!

We used this lovely Pear Butter recipe from Simply Recipes. It uses star anise( I had never worked with it before), Cardamom and ginger! If you have never canned, she has a great photo tutorial that takes you thru the process step by step. The other recipe we used is straight out of our Ball canning book, a much simpler recipe calling for just orange juice and nutmeg, but using the same steps as the other recipe.

Don't these little jars of goodness look wonderful!!! I love the little labels I created for them! I have never made labels before and with some trial and error was pretty successful I think :)

Hopefully the rest of this stormy day will be spent making Pear Jam and Applesauce!