What to do with "free" pears

Last year we met a new family that has a large pear tree in the back yard. They enjoyed looking at the tree blooming and all the fruit on the tree but when the pears begin to ripen and fall they lost interest fast. So, we were invited to strip the tree for them. Sandra worked with our daughter Stephanie and they made 85 pints of pear salsa, incorporating peppers and onions in a vinegar base. This year the tree didn't produce much fruit so we didn't have much hope for pears.

BUT, we met another new friend who has a wine grape vineyard that we were invited to glean (another story) and they also have two pear trees that were dropping pears on the ground and being fed to the hogs. What a waste.

SO, we loaded up bags of pears and brought them home.

After eating all we could fresh, giving some to neighbors, and distributing them to friends at church, we decided to try something we had seen in a food magazine, red wine poached pears.

We took a recipe from one of Sandra's cookbooks and modified it some to suit our taste.

4 pears - peeled, halved, and core removed

2-1/2 C red wine (we used Burgandy)

1 stick cinnamon

7 cloves

1/4 C sugar

Place in saucepan, liquid must cover the pears. Simmer 7-8 minutes, remove from heat and cool in the liquid. You can eat warm or cold as you choose. Also good with some cream cheese and chopped nuts in the center.

Especially good in cold weather - serve warm along with some of the simmering liquid. Afterwards not only is your tummy satisfied but your body feels warm down to your toes.