Love and Olive Oil

Pearsimmon Jam

Pearsimmon Jam plus FREE printable canning labels

I really wanted to make persimmon jam.

But, as it turns out, it’s very hard to find persimmon canning recipes. I researched the heck out of it and found very few recipes, none in any of my go-to trusted sources, which led me to believe that maybe these glorious orange fruits were not safe for canning.

Marisa confirmed my suspicions, saying that a persimmon has a pH value right on the cusp of being unsafe for water bath canning, and suggesting that I try combining persimmons with another more acidic fruit plus a whole bunch of lemon juice.

So that’s exactly what I did, combining two winter fruits into a delightful little jam with a clever name to match.

Pear + Persimmon = Pearsimmon.

I mean, right? Clearly these two were meant to be together. In a jar. Then in my mouth.

Pearsimmon Jam Canning Recipe

Granted, it’s not the prettiest jam I’ve ever made.

Taylor says it looks a bit like Thanksgiving in a jar. Celery and carrots. Well, that’s not quite what he said, but let’s just all agree to not speak of what it really looks like. Because that would be a disservice to this surprisingly tasty jam.

Pearsimmon Jam plus FREE printable canning labels

I will say that knowing that persimmons had a less-acidic pH made me nervous. I wanted to be sure this jam was safe before I went sending it out to friends and family.

So I bought myself a little pH meter, just for piece of mind.

(If you’re curious, the USDA/National Center for Home Preservation guidelines state that any food with a pH higher than 4.6 [I’ve also seen it listed as 4.2] is not safe for water bath canning. Anything more acidic than that, or a lower number, would be presumed safe assuming proper sealing and canning practices. Here’s a useful post with some more information as to why.)

So my jam’s final pH of 3.6 is well within that definition. The addition of the pears and (probably more than) enough lemon juice took this jam from sketchy to well within the safe zone. Gave it a nice little zing, too.

Pearsimmon Jam plus FREE printable canning labels

I have a small problem when it comes to jam (well, condiments in general), and that’s a short term memory and a fridge that’s too deep. There’s probably 6 jars of opened jam in our fridge right now, and I can’t for the life of me remember when I made or opened them. They’ll sit there for a few more weeks until we throw them away. It’s wasteful and I hate it.

So, I’ve started to design my jam labels with this in mind, including space to fill in a “canned on” date as well as an “opened on” date. In the case of this jam, these bulb jars happened to have smooth spots for labels on both the front and back, so I designed a second informative date label for the back side. All you need to do is circle the month and year during which the jam was made, and then when you open the jam, fill in the blank below. Tada! No more wasted jams.

As far as how long homemade jams keep… properly sealed, I think it’s safe to say the jams are good for a year. Once opened, keep them refrigerated and consume within a month.

Pearsimmon Jam plus FREE printable canning labels Pearsimmon Jam Canning Recipe

Can I just add that winter canning is entirely underrated? I’ve been doing quite a bit of it lately, exactly why you will find out soon enough, but it’s quite pleasant really, surrounding yourself in warm steam while the rest of the house is borderline frigid. You actually want to stand by the canning pot, as opposed to summertime canning, when you’re literally sweating buckets trying to churn out a few jars of precious jam. I truly think we should take better advantage of the fresh produce available to us during the winter months, from pears and persimmons to citrus and pomegranates… they all make for fabulous preserving (well, I’m still trying to figure out the pomegranates, but we’ll save that for another day).

Happy canning!

Pearsimmon Jam

Pear + Persimmon = one surprisingly delicious winter jam.

Did you make this recipe?

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal Pectin
  • 1 pound (about 5) ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled and diced
  • 20 ounces (3-4) firm ripe green Anjou pears, cored and diced
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
  • 4 teaspoons calcium water* (included with the pectin)

Directions:

  1. Prepare canner and wash/sterilize 4 half-pint mason (or equivalent) jars. Keep jars in hot (not boiling) water until ready to use. Warm lids in hot (not boiling) water to sterilize and soften seal.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together sugar and pectin until evenly distributed.
  3. Place pears and persimmons (you should have about3 cups worth of diced fruit) in a large, heavy saucepan along with lemon juice and calcium water. Simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fruit has softened a bit, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. When fruit mixture reach a full rolling boil, pour sugar and pectin into saucepan, stirring vigorously until completely dissolved. Continue to stir until mixture returns to a full rolling boil, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off any foam that may have formed.
  5. Ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Screw on lids and rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and let cool completely, 12 to 24 hours. Check seals. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used within 3 weeks.
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Pear and Persimmon Jam and Free Downloadable Labels

Bonus Printable Labels

Free Printable Pearsimmon Jam Canning LabelsSpeaking of labels… what fun would it be if I didn’t share? :) Lately I’ve been printing my labels on weatherproof matte label paper, which has a professional satin-like finish and the print won’t bleed if it happens to get a smudge of jam on it (which, let’s face it, it always does).

The downloadable PDF file includes 16 each of the front and back date labels (back labels are generic so they can be used on any jam), perfectly sized to fit on these 7 ounce bulb jars, but can also be used on any other smooth-sided jar or jar lid.

To use, simply download the printable file by completing the form below. Print your labels onto full-sheet sticker paper, cut out shapes, and apply directly to the (canned and cooled) jars.

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18 Comments

  1. Hello! I am so excited to try this recipe.. I plan to give it to my friends for Valentine’s Day!

    Could you elaborate on the calcium water? I looked up the pectin you’ve used and the label doesn’t seem to mention anything about calcium water. I have canned before but have not utilized calcium water- how do I do this (and, honestly, why)?

    Thank you!

    • Pomona’s pectin comes with calcium powder. This pectin is unique in that it utilizes calcium molecules to acheive the set, instead of sugar like standard pectin, which is why jams using it can be lower in sugar and still set up properly. If you buy a box of Pomona’s it will have a little package of calcium powder inside, just follow the instructions on the insert. :)

    • AH, fantastic! 

      Thank you so much for the quick response. That explanation helps a lot, and its nice to hear that I haven’t been doing something wrong in the other jams I’ve made- just different (whew).

      Can’t wait to give it a taste, and try many of your other delicious recipes!

  2. You are one of the very few websites that feature recipes for jam, using Pomona’s Pectin and low sugar. Most jams are 3-1 sugar. This one is about 3 cups fruit to 1 and 1/2 cups sugar. It’s great for people monitoring their sugar intake and frankly, the jams taste better because you can savor the fruit! 

    Still love your peach-blueberry recipe I found this summer. Made several batches while both were in season and gave them as xmas presents. People really love the jam.

    Looking forward to more recipes.

    • Thanks so much for sharing, hope you enjoy this one as much as the blueberry-peach (one of my favorites)! And yes, the low-sugar factor is the reason I love Pomona’s pectin so much. :)

      Happy canning!

  3. This sounds great…I love persimmons…never thought of making a spread of them

  4. I love persimmon sauce, so jam is like another step :D 

  5. Hi Lindsay,

    I would say, as long as you cannot spot any mold on the jam itself, it is still safe to eat. If you spot just a very little tiny spot of mold, scoop it out generously and finish the jar asap. If it is bigger, throw it out.
    Trust your safe buds and as long as the jam still tastes fine, you should be fine…

    Great idea combining the pear and persimmon, I love that :)
    Laura

    • Please be careful, botulism is invisible and tasteless and thrives in low-acid environments, which is why it is very important to make sure that your home-canned goods are of a proper acidity so they are safe for consumption. Just because there is no visible mold does not mean the jam is safe.

    • Oh, I didn’t know that. Thanks!

  6. I can’t wait to see something with pomegranate!!!! But I love this one too – and it IS pretty, I swear :) 

  7. This is awesome, as I was just thinking of how I could can up some persimmons the other day. Pears are still around, soooo this sounds like a plan! Pomegranates also make an amazing jelly, really vibrant and tart, but obviously require added pectin. I’m interested to see what you come up with, so far I’m stuck with pomegranate and pomegranate chipotle, which really isn’t that terrible to be stuck with.

  8. I think it is quite lovely! I have a few hachiyas frozen–I like to put them in rice pudding. You might enjoy making pomegranate molasses. thanks for the labels!

  9. This jam looks absolutely amazing! I need some in my life right now!

    Paige

  10. I think it’s a pretty jam! The colours remind me of fall and apple cider, which are all good things, right? I’ve never made jam before but I’d really like to start/add it to the list of other “homemade projects” I want to do!

  11. this jam looks amazing! i love making jam. thank you for the labels; however, when i went to link, all that came up were the mango passionfruit labels. am i doing something wrong or are there more to follow those? thank you so much for the recipe and working so hard to perfect it.

  12. Clever name! Pear and persimmon are my favorite fruits,  I just might have to try this.. 

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