Pretty Pear Preserves - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 lbs hard pears, peeled, cored
1 (12 ounce) jar maraschino cherries
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, in juice
1 lemon, juice of
sugar

Preparation

Process the pears in a food processor until finely chopped. Remove pears to a large bowl. Add cherries and juice to processor bowl and pulse a couple of times to lightly chop. Add cherries to pears. Drain the pineapple. Place drained pineapple in food processor bowl and pulse 2 to 3 times to coarsely chop then add to other fruit.
Measure the fruit. Yield should be 8 to 9 cups. For every cup of fruit you will need 3/4 cup of sugar. In a large kettle, combine the chopped fruit, sugar and juice of 1 lemon. Cook gently until mixture reaches the gel point. This should take approximately 40 minutes.
Ladle mixture into hot sterilized jars. Clean jar rims and place 2-piece lids on jars. Process in a water bath canner as per your local county Extension office.