It's All Trew: Pear preserves always worth the work Each year in late September or early October, if Mother Nature allows, the Trews "put up pear preserves." As long as I can remember this annual routine has taken place. This year two sons and wives joined us around the big kitchen table, knives and pans at ready and all peeled and sliced pears for hours. We stayed focused and serious except when we were laughing. Our family "get-togethers" tend to get a little silly after a while, and the monotony of peeling pears doesn't help. Since pears are slick and hard to hold, shrapnel flies in all directions. Basically, to the unlearned, making pear preserves includes peeling the fruit, cutting out all bad places and bruises. Next, slice the meat into small slivers eliminating the core. The slices are then soaked in a pan for six to eight hours with two parts pears to one part sugar. Last, cook until "they look just right" turning a light brown and becoming sort of clear. Then place in sterilized jars with lids. After cooling the pears contract and the lid pops in, signaling the jar is sealed. My wife, Ruth, says, "the most satisfying sound in a country woman's life is when after a hard day's work canning, the lids start to pop and the count comes out right."....