Don't say goodbye to apples and pears yet
Apples and pears have a long and distinguished history in El Dorado County agriculture. Locals and tourists alike appreciate our fine mountain autumn fruit. Right now, it's late in apple and pear season here in Camino, and most of the fruits will be gone once the main attraction becomes Christmas trees. While apples store well, fresh mountain pears will no longer be available.
Enjoy the autumn harvest all year long
The following recipe is a mixed-fruit jam that will provide you with reminders of the autumn season all year long. Make sure to use liquid pectin for this recipe.
Pear-Apple Jam
Yield: About 7 to 8 half-pints
2 cups peeled, cored, and finely chopped pears (about 2 lbs)
1 cup peeled, cored, and finely chopped apples
61⁄2 cups sugar
1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
1⁄3 cup bottled lemon juice
6 oz liquid pectin (2 pouches)
- Prepare boiling-water canner or atmospheric steam canner. Heat jars in canner until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.
- Wash apples and pears under cold running water, drain.
- Peel and core pears. Crush well and measure 2 cups into a large saucepan. Peel and core apples. Finely chop 1 cup of apples. Add apples to pears and stir in cinnamon.
- Thoroughly mix sugar and lemon juice into fruits and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Immediately stir in pectin.
- Bring to a full, rolling boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.
- Fill a hot half-pint jar, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean jar rim. Center lid on jar and adjust band to fingertip tight. Place jar in canner with simmering water (180 degrees F). Repeat until all jars are filled.
- Water must cover jars by one inch in boiling water canner or come to the base of the rack in a steam canner. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover canner, and bring water to a rolling boil in a boiling-water canner or until there’s a steady stream of steam coming from the steam canner for 1 minute. Start timing and process pint jars: 10 minutes at 0 – 1,000 feet elevation, 15 minutes at 1,001 – 6,000 feet, and 20 minutes at 6,001 – 8,000 feet.
- Turn off heat. For boiling water canner, remove lid and let jars stand 5 minutes. For atmospheric steam canner, let canner sit undisturbed for 5 minutes, then remove lid. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check seals (they should not flex when center is pressed). Label, date, and store in a cool dark place.
This delicious jam can be used on toast, of course, but also in yogurt, on pancakes, or as a glaze on roast poultry. Put it out on a charcuterie board with a soft cheese and crackers for a tasty treat during the holidays.
The UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County are a great resource for answers to your food safety and preserving questions. Please find our Ask a Master Food Preserver survey in the link below.
This article, written by UC Master Food Preserver of El Dorado County Monique Wilber, originally appeared in the Mountain Democrat in 2014. It was updated by Laurie Lewis in October 2025. The source of the recipe is PennState Extension (2023).