Hellobee

For the last few years, I’ve tried to plan gingerbread house building parties sometime during December. I gather all the supplies, pipe in the Christmas music, and let the kids cover the houses (and my own house) in sprinkles and powdered sugar. And I always make a hot drink to sip while building. I’ve done the usual apple cider and hot cocoa, and it has gone well. But last week I ended up with, let’s just call it… an abundance of pears. 13 pounds, to be exact. I decided to experiment with a pear cider, and after three tries, I came up with a recipe that is both delicious and simple, and that kids can help make too! The addition of molasses gives it a gingerbread flavor. Try to start the cider early in the morning on a day when you want your house to smell amazing, because it needs about 8 hours to cook. My house has smelled like cider for a week straight and no one is complaining!

• 4 pounds of ripe pears (overripe is fine too)
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks2-inch chunk of ginger, peeled
• 4 tangerines (or two oranges)
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar, or maple syrup)¼ teaspoon salt1 vanilla bean (or a teaspoon of vanilla extract)

Supplies:

• Crockpot
• Potato Masher
• Cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer

1. Slice the pears and citrus. All seeds, stems, and peels can go right in!
2. Place all ingredients into the Crockpot, and add about one gallon of water. You can fill it almost to the top.
3. Cook on high for six hours. At the six hour mark, remove the lip and cook on high for another hour.
4. At the seven hour mark, use the potato masher to mash up the pear mixture while still in the pot. Cover and set for one more hour on high.
5. At the eight hour mark, strain the mixture. Be careful, as it will be super hot. After it cools, you can bottle up the cider to use within a few days, or return it to the crockpot to keep it warm if you are going to use it the same day.
6. Serve hot or cold, with a cinnamon stick or slice of citrus for garnish!