fruit

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice bottom of each pear so they sit straight up on flat surface. Transfer pears to prepared baking dish. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well to combine. Pour over pears and transfer to oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until pears are tender. Remove from oven; set aside for ten minutes before serving. Serve warm. Recipe courtesy of Amie Valpone at thehealthyapple

Place watermelon, raspberries, and water in electric blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Strain through fine mesh strainer into pitcher. Stir in Stevia to taste and lemon juice. Refrigerate until chilled, about one hour.

Recipe provided by National Watermelon Promotion Board.

Wash strawberries in cool, running water and drain. Remove stems and hulls. Crush berries one layer at a time using potato masher. Measure required quantity of berries and remaining ingredients for recipe; set aside. Sprinkle pectin evenly over bottom of pot fitted with stirrer. Add crushed strawberries evenly over pectin. Add butter/margarine to help reduce foaming. Press jam button, the cook time will automatically default to 21 minutes. Press enter. Wait four minutes for appliance to sound four short beeps indicating the time to add sugar. Add sugar gradually while stirrer continues running. Place the glass lid on the pot. The appliance will continue to automatically stir your ingredients while it cooks. Stay within earshot of the jam and jelly maker, the appliance will beep again at the end of the process signaling jam cooking is complete. Press cancel, unplug appliance, and immediately remove glass lid. Remove stirrer using a pot holder. Skim foam, if necessary, from top of jam. Preserve jam immediately, using one of the three ways listed below.

Preservation Methods:

Now:

Spread on thick, then save the rest for up to three weeks in your refrigerator. Ladle hot jam or jelly into hot jars. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place lids and bands on jars. Label.

Freeze:

Freeze jam for up to one year, right in Ball Glass Jars. Ladle hot jam or jelly into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place lids and bands on jars. Label.

Preserve and Store:

With Ball Home Canning Products, jams can be stored for up to one year. Prepare your gear (while jam or jelly is being made in your Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker) and fill canner or stockpot half full with water. Place lid on canner. Heat to a simmer. Keep canning rack or Canning Discovery Kit canning rack with lifter to the side until ready to use. Wash jars, lids and bands in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Keep jars warm until ready to use, in order to minimize risk of breakage when filling with hot jam or jelly. Fill jars. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, one at a time, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe any jam or jelly from the rims of the jars. Center lids on jars. Twist on the bands until fingertip tight. Place filled jars in the canning rack inside the canner, ensuring jars are covered by one to two inches of water. Place lid on canner. Bring water to gentle, steady boil. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars stand for five minutes. Remove jars from water and cool. Check lids for seal after 12 to 24 hours. Check the seal. Press on center of cooled lid. If jar is sealed, the lid will not flex up or down. If it is not sealed, refrigerate immediately or re-process. Store sealed jars in pantry for up to one year. Jars may be stored without bands, or you may clean the underside of bands to ensure no moisture is trapped during storage.

Recipe and image provided by Ball Corporation.

**Recipe must be made with Ball FreshTECH Automatic Jam & Jelly Maker