Simply Resourceful

Simple ways to be more conscious about how we use our resources.

Making Pear Juice and Pear Butter


I am not someone who collects a lot of gadgets, but this, my friends, is incredible!  This is the Norpro Juicer and Steamer.  This is by far the easiest way to make juice from grapes, pears, apples, etc.  The instruction/recipe booklet even says it can be used for making tomato paste.  You simply put the fruit in the top steamer basket; juice runs into the second pot where it is then siphoned off into jars; and the bottom pot is full of boiling water.  The tiered system works flawlessly, and the fruit mush that is left in the basket can be mushed up and used for other things or just composted.  I made grape juice with this and I didn't even remove the stems.  This system is a time saver!  Below are a few pictures from my pear endeavors!  We used the juice for making wine and the remaining pulp was made into pear butter!

Pears loaded into the steamer.  I only removed the stems and bruised or wormy parts of the fruit.  Pears were cut into quarters.

Here is my basic set-up.  I prop the soup pot on a chair and cake pan to catch the juice. 

I squeeze a little metal clasp to open up the tube and the juice drains into the pot. 

On the left is the steamer full of mushed fruit with little or no juice left.  On the right is an old-fashioned tool for mushing fruit to make sauce.  I don't know what this is called??  Help, anyone?

Using a wooden pestle, the fruit mush is pushed through the holes, leaving behind the seeds and skins. 

Here is the pear mush ready for pear butter!

Pear Butter Recipe: 
8 cups pear pulp
1 orange (rind and juice)
1 lemon (rind and juice)
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
5 cups sugar

Mix together and cook on stove for about 30 minutes over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil, until mixture is the thickness you like.  Fill pint and half-pint jars and process in water bath for 10 minutes.  Makes ~11 pints

Some people use a crockpot and cook the mixtures for several hours.




4 comments :

Jenn Mer November 7, 2011 at 10:47 PM  

Thank you for loaning me your juicer! I love the sweet liquid that comes from it as well as making the sauce from the fruits at the top. Once things were completely soft and juiced, I threw the fruits into the blender and ground everything up for a delicious sauce. It was so easy! And now we'll have juice and sauces through the colder months.

Unknown August 17, 2018 at 9:19 AM  

Hi Holly, I have a steamer and wondered how you preserve your pear juice to stop it going off. Do you can the juice? and if so for how long. Please advise as we have two trees laden with fruit that I don't want to waste. Thanks in advance.

steve budiselic October 1, 2020 at 7:44 PM  

The cone thing is called a ricer

Anonymous September 9, 2022 at 10:41 AM  

The cone strainer is French and is called a chinoise I believe.

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A weekly update on our adventures of trying to be more self-sufficient by using resources wisely. We explore a variety of topics that most broadly fit in the "Homesteading" category, i.e. beekeeping, organic gardening, edible landscaping/fruit forest, food preservation/canning, woodworking, soap-making, and environmental stewardship.

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