I don't know if this will help, but I have made pear jam in the past (regular sugar recipe) and instead of all of the peeling, I just put the ripe pears, skins and all right into the food processor. It does make for a darker jam, but a lot less work!

Not low sugar, but I'd think someone here might be able to help with that. I like this jam from USApears.com . They have other pear recipes as well. I also like the pear butter in the Ball Blue Book. The nutmeg is distinctive.

Bartlett Harlequin Jam - USAPears.com

You wouldn't think that the addition of maraschino cherries could change the complex flavors of this very easy jam. From a base of Bartlett pears comes a jam as pretty as it is delicious.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Bartlett USA Pears
1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package (2 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 jar (8 ounces) red maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
Directions
Peel, core, and finely chop pears. Measure 2 cups fruit into heavy kettle; add pineapple and lemon juice. Add pectin; stir well. Bring to boil; stir constantly. Add sugar; mix well. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat and skim. Carefully stir in cherries. Ladle into clean, hot half-pint canning jars to within ¨û-inch of tops. Seal according to jar manufacturer's directions.

Place jars on rack in canner. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath with boiling water 2 inches above jar tops. Remove jars from canner. Cool away from drafts. Remove rings from sealed jars after 12 hours.

yield: Makes about 8 half pints

PEAR BUTTER - Ball Blue Book

2 quarts pear pulp [about 20 medium]
(my notes - about 12 large)
4 cups sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

To prepare pulp: Quarter and core pears. Cook until soft, adding only enough water to prevent sticking. Press through a sieve or food mill. Measure pulp.

Add remaining ingredients; cook until thick, about 35 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Adjust caps. Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Yield: about 4 pints.

Also try Bernardin, the Canadian "Ball" canning site.
http://www.bernardin.ca/
I did a search for pears there and got quite a few hits, including an interesting sounding pear cinnamon jam I may have to try this year.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bartlett Harlequin Jam

That recipe with the cherries is similar to one my grandmother made. This is her recipe. You gotta love the complex directions, lol. It has alot more pears. I realize she reversed when the pectin went in - probably because these hard pears we have here need more cooking to soften and aren't really juicy. It seems to work though. I am making some today.

Pear Honey
8 cups grated hard pears
4 cups sugar
2 cups crushed pineapple
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, halved or quartered
Grate pears, cover with sugar. Liquid will form. Cook pears until almost done. Add pineapple and cherries. Boil another 10 minutes. Add 1 package sure-jell. Put in jars.

Here's a link to another recent thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0817560528187.html

'Was great but a pain, to peel and chop, ripe pears.' They don't need to be ripe if you're going to cook them. Save yourself a lot of hassle by preparing them when they're still quite hard. Prepare to be shocked:

Pear Jam - not low sugar.

1kg pears
1kg sugar
1 bottle pectin (250gr)

Prepare fruit. Chop it up. Cook it up. Add some ginger if you feel like it. Add sugar. Cook it up again. Boil 1 minute. Take it off the heat and add pectin. Skim and stir. Pot and cover.

Pickled Pears

1.5kg pears peeled but left whole
500g golden syrup
450ml white vinegar
1/4 cinnamon stick
8 cloves
1 strip lemon peel

Put all ingredients except pears in a pan and bring to the boil. Allow to cool. Put the pears into jars. Pour over the vinegar. Cover.

Enjoy your pears, Flora

Thanks for all the tips, I will get busy.

I like to put them up in light syrup w/ a touch of vanilla. Great to open and eat in winter---can make the basis for a great fruit salad or on their own.

Also try poaching in wine for a fancy dessert!

Finally, I make "pearsauce," like applesauce --- and like with apples for easy canning you can just cook them with peels on, as you say, then puree them & put through the food mill to get out the seeds. Add a hint of cinnamon maybe.

Z

This is my favorite pear recipe. It's relatively low sugar. If you are using fairly ripe pears, you can get away with even more than 7-8lbs of pears with the amount of sweetener in the recipe:

Maple Vanilla Pear Butter

â 7-8 pounds pears, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
â 1/2 cup water
â 1 cup sugar, or more to taste
â 1/2 cup maple syrup
â 1 tbsp. vanilla
â pinch salt
â 1/4 tsp vanilla bean, optional

Directions:

Add about a half cup of water to the chunked pears (just to keep them from sticking to the bottom) and cook over medium heat until the fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a food mill or food processor, and process until fairly smooth, but not completely liquified. Add the puree back to the pot, and add the sugars, syrup, vanilla, and salt. Cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, until thick enough to round up on a spoon. Fill sterilized jars and process for ten minutes in a water bath canner.