Pear Jam with Poppy Seeds

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather your ingredients: pears, sugar, poppy seeds, and lemon juice.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash and dry the pears, then peel and core them. The peeled, cored weight should be at least 500 g. Cut the prepared fruit into medium slices.

3. Step 3:

   

   Put the pear slices in a pot or saucepan, add the sugar, and pour in the lemon juice.

4. Step 4:

   

   Mix the pears with the sugar and lemon juice and let them sit at room temperature for 2 hours to release their juice.

5. Step 5:

   

   If you like, toast the poppy seeds in a dry skillet for about 3 minutes to make them more fragrant. You can also grind them in a coffee grinder so they're not too hard and don't crunch — I leave mine whole because I like the crunch, but for baking I always grind them, since the flavor comes through better that way.

6. Step 6:

   

   After the pears have released their juice (about 2 hours), set the pan over the heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then.

7. Step 7:

   

   When the pear slices turn almost translucent, add the toasted poppy seeds.

8. Step 8:

   

   Cook everything together for another 5–7 minutes.

9. Step 9:

   

   Spoon the finished jam into sterilized jars and close the lids. This amount makes one 760 ml jar. Turn the jars upside down, wrap them in a towel, and leave until completely cool, then turn them back over.

10. Step 10:

    

    Store the jam in a dark, dry, cool place out of direct sunlight. Enjoy!