3 Comments »

• 1
  

  there are wild pears on my land, too.
  very nice haiku, alison.

  if they are soft, they make good preserves…
  if crunchy, try spiced pear relish, its a great
  compliment to meats–esp. pork.

  i have a good recipe, if you’d like.
  finding wild foods is one of the special
  treats of living in the country.

  morel mushrooms often appear under
  wild fruit trees. keep your eye out in late springtime…

  Comment by johanna — October 21, 2009 @ 5:51 am

• 2
  

  Oh, thank you. Recipes are very welcome! These were crunchy pears. The funny thing is, I passed the same trail several times and never noticed the pears. One thing I find interesting about exploring with others is that we all notice different things. It’s a nice way to share.

  I’m a huge wild mushroom fan but a little afraid to pick my own. But I think morel mushrooms are pretty distinct and don’t look like any sort of poisonous variety, do they?

  Comment by Alison — October 21, 2009 @ 10:33 am

• 3
  

  there are faux morels, but they aren’t as common, and arent poisonous,anyway.

  wild pear relish

  6-8 cups [pieces] peeled, cored crisp pears-/ rough grind in food processor.
  put in large pot, add 1 1/2 c.brown sugar, 1cup raisins[ golden are even better]
  1 oz. minced fresh ginger root -or more to taste[ can be peeled, sliced and ground with pears]
  3/4 c cider vinegar, 2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. ground cloves and
  1 tsp. ground allspice [ can use apple pie spice for cloves/allspice...use 1 T. ]
  1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.[ to taste] if you like spicier.

  if it is too thick–those pears arent real juicy, add a little water. cook very low
  heat [ med. low] maybe 30-45 minutes til thickened and glossy. this will scorch, so keep stirring….keep @ simmer while you do jars….makes about 6-7 half pints

  jars can be sterilized easy if heated in 200 degree oven for 20 min.
  cover jar lids in boiling water- let sit while you fill hot jars to 1/2″ from top.
  quickly place lids/rims in place [ first wipe off any relish on jar top for good seal]
  will heat-seal as it cools. i never process any further because it gets
  eaten fairly soon, or given as xmas gifts.

  apologies for extra instructions about putting up stuff….you may know
  this info already. vty, j.

  Comment by johanna — October 22, 2009 @ 4:19 am

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