Dissolve sugar in heated water. Add lemon peel and root ginger. Simmer for 15 min., to let flavors develop. Cut off the top of each pear and place in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice(this prevents the tops from going brown during preparation) Peel the pears carefully. Take a thin slice off the base to make it flat. Remove core. Stand pears in hot syrup and simmer for 10-20 min. Add tops and cook a further 2 min. The flesh of the pear should be soft, but intact. Serve pear and lids with a few spoonfuls of the syrup poured over the top. Works well on its own, or with fresh blueberries in the center of the pear.