Pear Bark

Last week I harvested the first pears this season from my orchard. I posted how I canned the pear slices in a lite syrup. Now I will show you what I did with the peels and cores. Anybody up for pear candy?

First wash, peel, core and slice the pears, setting the peelings and cores aside. This is what we will use to make Pear Bark. a fruit roll-up type of candy, made from the parts of the pear that would normally be thrown away.

Place the peels and cores into a saucepan and cover with water. Put on the stove and heat to a simmer.

When the contents are simmering, add a bit more water and cook the peels and cores for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t scorch. Also, if the liquid level goes down, add more water.

When the peels and cores are beginning to soften you will need to add your natural sweetener. I used a combination of raisins (I had a couple of small boxes like you send to school in children’s lunches) and some dehydrated fig pieces. You can also use raw honey.

Add about ¾ cups of the natural sweetener to the pan and continued cooking. In another half hour everything should be almost mushy. Puree the contents in the pan with an immersion blender or in your counter top blender. Try to get things very smooth. Then continue to cook, stirring constantly until the puree thickens.

Taste the puree and if it is sweet enough it is time to prepare your dehydrator sheets for the drying process. If not, you can add more raisins, figs, or raw honey. You will need to make a very shallow box with your fruit roll-up sheets. This will allow the puree to dry without running over the edges of your dehydrator trays. Pinch the corners together as in the picture.

Next, take some small clips like these ACCO clamps and secure the corners. Put the containers on individual dehydrator trays.

Pour some of the puree into each container and spread it out evenly with an off set spatula. You will want the puree to be no more than ½ inch thick, and thinner is better as it will dry more easily. Never less than ¼ inch or it will be too thin.

Place trays with containers in dehydrator,

Set the temp on 135 degrees F and set the timer for 15 hours.

Close the dehydrator and allow it to do it’s thing. At the end of 15 hours, turn each tray 90 degrees and set the timer for an additional 5 hours. After the 20 hours total have passed remove the trays to your counter and allow things to cool a little.

Peel the dried puree (or bark) from the fruit roll-up sheets and place them on parchment paper.

When completely cooled, fold up the parchment, and roll the dried puree into a roll . Take it slowly so things will roll instead of crack. You will have what looks like a jelly roll.

Next you will want to cut the rolls into 1 inch slices. In my house, chores of this type can not be done without supervision. As I was placing the bark on the parchment my helper came in. My helper is Carribe, a Blue and Gold Macaw, one of 3 macaws who share our home with us.

The parchment will allow the bark to be peeled and eaten in small amounts rather than a huge chunk that sticks to itself. Notice that my supervisor checks the thickness of each slice.

Store this Pear Bark in glass, covered tightly. It is a great snack. Birds and kids love it.

Please note, I am not an expert in food preservation, or pickling, or even homesteading. I am just a woman who loves to put up food to feed my family. These are the steps I followed to make my version of Pear Bark.

If you found something interesting, educational or inspirational in this post, stay tuned for more adventures in food and everyday life with:

Kate, the Busy Boomer