Spiced poached pears

We made this in my last canning class of 2011. It is a mixture of several recipes. This will make enough for 7 pints.

3 quarts water
6 C turbinado sugar
1 vanilla bean, split
2 sticks cinnamon
2 oranges, 7 slices of peeling set aside, the rest zested
11 pears, not soft ones

In a large pot, mix the water and sugar. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the pot and then add the pod. Add the cinnamon and orange zest. You can add the juice of the orange, too, if you'd like.

Peel, core, and slice the pears into 1/4" thickness. Add them to the pot. Simmer for around 20-25 minutes, or until the pears are tender.

Spoon the pears into pint jars, add enough of the cooking liquid to leave a 1/2" head space. Process for 25 minutes.

**We opened these last night, warmed them up a bit, and served them with vanilla ice cream. Heaven in your mouth.