Ginger spiced pears

THE autumn season is all about preparing for winter and in the kitchen this is one of my favourite things to do – jam making, apple juicing and stewing.

Jars and bottles are part of my collecting obsession.

I spend a lot of time in an old orchard just outside York, which contains wonderful varieties of old English apples and pears.

One giant tree has these tiny pears, which I use for stewing, and I found a recipe for preserving the pears with ginger, which we consume a lot at home to keep our immune system strong at this time of year.

Ginger is a wonderful root, and when combined with pears it makes them simply sublime.

The preserved pears are a great companion to cheese boards and meats.

Ginger spiced pears

1 ½ kg of small ripe pears
500g granulated brown sugar 
500ml of cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1tsp peppercorns
A 4cm piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 
A pinch of salt
Zest and juice of an orange

1. Place the sugar, orange zest and juice, the vinegar, bay, ginger and seasoning in a large pan and bring slowly to a boil. Make sure you stir it constantly so that the sugar dissolves and once it begins to boil, let it do so for five minutes.

2. Meanwhile peel, core and halve the pears. Add them to the pan and poach gently for 10-15 min or until tender. Remove them and place them into a warm sterilised kilner jar with a rubber seal.

3. Boil the remaining mixture so that it reduces by half and then pour it over the pears. Don’t sift it as you want the spices to go too. The pears need to be completely covered with the liquid. Seal the jars tightly.

4. Store and consume within two months.

Florencia Clifford is a zen cook and the author of Feeding Orchids To The Slugs: Tales Of The Zen Kitchen.

For more, visit feedingorchidstotheslugs.wordpress.com