Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: Bernardin
Safety reviewed: 09/18/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Use the exact altitude-adjusted schedule in the tested recipe card.
Source & provenance
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Safety classification
Tested recipe. Documented by Bernardin.
Processing details
- Method: Boiling-water
canning ; hot pack - Jar size: 500 ml or 1 L jars
- Headspace: Pack fruit to 3/4 inch (2 cm); cover with liquid to 1/2 inch (1 cm).
- Processing: 20 minutes for 500 ml jars or 25 minutes for 1 L jars at altitudes up to 1,000 ft (305 m); follow Bernardin’s guidance above that elevation.
Tested/documented source
Bernardin: Pears — Bernardin. The source and WPRM card remain authoritative.
Preparation timeline
- Prepare canner, jars, lids, and measured ingredients.
- Complete every preparation and cooking stage in the card.
- Hot-pack, process for jar size and elevation, wait 5 minutes, and cool upright for 24 hours.
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- 500 ml or 1 L jars with lids and bands
- Large nonreactive preserving pot
- Jar lifter, funnel, and bubble/headspace tool
Visual method guide
- Prepare ingredients as documented.
- Cook to the source’s stated stage.
- Hot-pack and maintain Pack fruit to 3/4 inch (2 cm); cover with liquid to 1/2 inch (1 cm)..
- Process under at least 1 inch of boiling water.
Safety essentials
Use the documented hot-pack pears, approved packing liquid, jar sizes, separate fruit/liquid fill levels, and size-specific processing times.
Do not enlarge jar size or shorten processing time. Refrigerate any unsealed jar.
About this recipe
Pears — Bernardin is a tested Bernardin fruit preserve.
Before you begin
Read the complete recipe card and source, measure every ingredient, and confirm your elevation.
Altitude-adjusted processing
20 minutes for 500 ml jars or 25 minutes for 1 L jars at altitudes up to 1,000 ft (305 m); use Bernardin’s documented adjustment above that elevation.
Pears — Bernardin
Ingredients
- Pears
- Fruit-Fresh® Fruit Protector
- Sugar syrup or unsweetened fruit juice (apple or white grape) or water
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water bath canner with rack
- 1 Large stainless or enamel preserving pot
- 1 Canning jars with two-piece lids
- 1 Headspace and bubble tool
Directions
- Place the required number of clean 500 ml or 1 L mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Keep jars hot until ready to use. Preheating Bernardin® lids is not advised.
- The sealing compound used for our home canning lids performs better at room temperature than it does pre-heated in simmering water (180°F). Simply wash lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed.
- Preheating can lead to less vacuum being achieved during water bath canning, and to buckle failures during pressure canning. Harvest pears when fully grown. Store in a cool place (60-75ºF/15 - 18ºC) until ripe but not soft. Wash, peel, halve and core pears.
- Place in colour protection solution (4 tbsp (60 ml) Fruit-Fresh ® Fruit Protector dissolved in 8 cups (2 L) water). Pears may be canned in water, fruit juice or sugar syrup. Prepare syrup in canner batch quantities-approximately 5 cups (1250 ml) for 7-500 ml jars.
- In large stainless steel saucepan, combine water and sugar for desired syrup type (see chart); bring to a boil. If using water or fruit juice, place in saucepan; bring to a boil.
- Syrup for 7 - 1 L jars Syrup Type Water Granulated sugar Very light 10 1/2 cups (2625 ml) 1-1/4 cup (300 ml) Light 9 cups (2250 ml) 2-1/4 cups (550 ml) Medium 8-1/4 cups (2050 ml) 3-3/4 cups (925 ml) HOT PACK - Prepare syrup and bring to a boil in large stainless steel saucepan.
- Drain fruit and place one layer at a time in syrup; return to a boil or until fruit is heated through. Pack hot pears into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot liquid to cover pears to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar (headspace).
- Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more pears and hot syrup. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight.
- Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining pears and hot syrup. When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time.
- At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process -boil filled jars - for the times indicated: Jar Size Time 500 ml20 minutes 1 L 25 minutes When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface.
- Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands. After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired.
- Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.
- Processing: At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process -boil filled jars - for the times indicated: Jar Size Time 500 ml20 minutes - 10 minutes.
- Altitude-adjusted processing table: At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process -boil filled jars - for the times indicated: Jar Size Time 500 ml20 minutes
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
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Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve or use according to the preserve’s fruit, condiment, or dessert profile.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a larger jar?
No. Use only the documented jar sizes and matching times.
Can I change the formula?
Do not alter the tested formulation for shelf-stable storage.
Recipe context
This tested preserve is not interchangeable with an unprocessed refrigerator preparation.
Troubleshooting
Seal failure: Refrigerate the jar. Discard spoiled food without tasting.
Source and provenance
Primary source: Bernardin. Editorial organization changes only.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages: