Pear Preserves

Ingredients

• 10 pounds pears
• 0.25 pound white ginger root
• sugar

Instructions

1. Peel the pears, and if preserving them whole, do not cut them into pieces.
2. Lay the pears under sugar in layers.
3. Take one-quarter pound of white ginger root to ten pounds of pears, crack or bruise it (or slice it in pieces with a knife if you cannot bruise it).
4. Sprinkle the ginger over each layer of pears under the sugar.
5. Let them remain a day and night.
6. The next day, take the juice and sugar from the pears and put it to boil for the syrup with the ginger in it.
7. Let them boil for ten minutes at a time, and repeat this process until done.
8. Skim the froth off the top of the syrup whenever it appears.
9. When the pears are cold, pat them in jars or bottles and place in a dark closet.
10. They are preserved when they get to the color of a gold coin.