Recipe - Pear Mincemeat

1 cup Currants
1 cup Sultana raisins
One half cup Dried apricots, chopped
1 Lemon, juice & grated rind
1 Orange, juice & grated rind
One half cup Brown sugar, lightly packed
2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
One half teaspoon Ground ginger
1 pn Pickling salt
4 One half pound Pears (10 large)
1 cup Slivered blanched almonds
One fourth cup Rum

In a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan, combine currants, raisins,
apricots, lemon and orange rind and juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg,
ginger and salt.

Peel, core and chop pears to yield 10 cups. Stir into fruit mixture. Bring
to a boil; reduce heat. COVER and simmer 30 minutes, stirring
occasionally.

Fill boiling water canner with water. Place 5 clean pint mason jars in
canner over high heat.

Place snap lids in boiling water; boil 5 min to soften sealing compound.

UNCOVER fruit mixture and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, about 15
minutes until very thick. Stir in almonds and rum; simmer 5 minutes
longer.

Ladle mincemeat into hot jars to within One half inch of top rim (head space).
Remove air bubbles by sliding rubber spatula between glass and food;
readjust head space to One half inch. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness.
Center snap lid on jar; apply screw band just until fingertip tight. Place
jar in canner. Repeat for remaining mincemeat.

Cover canner; return water to a boil. Process 20 minutes at altitudes up
to 1000 ft. Remove jars. Cool 24 hours. Check jar seals. (Sealed lids
curve downward.) Remove screw bands (if desired). Wipe jars.

Label and store in a cool, dark place.

Source: Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving revised Canada 1992. Shared but
not tested by Elizabeth Rodier Aug 93

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini