Home Canned Apple Pie Filling

Jun 29, 2011
Germaine Felder

Home Canned Food - April Fulton

Easy to make and versatile to use, this apple pie filling can be stored on shelves for up to a year before being used.

If homemade pie is the desire for dessert, but there is not a lot of time for filling, do not reach for a store-bought can – can some in the kitchen instead!

Ingredients:

10 cups water
4 ½ cups sugar
½ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
5 ½ pounds of Granny Smith apples that have been peeled, cored, and sliced

Materials:

7 or 8 wide-mouth quart canning jars, with appropriate lids and rings for each
Sharp knife or apple peeler/corer apparatus, as desired
Stove
Boiling water bath
Canning rack (if desired)

To prepare materials:

Wash in hottest tap water with generous soap and rinsing twice.
Place jars upside-down on clean towel.
Fill a boiling water bath with clean, fresh water, and set on the stove to boil.

Note: If the dishwasher in the house has a ‘sterilize’ cycle, that may be used instead of hand-washing, if desired.

To prepare apples:

Wash apples thoroughly
Peel, core, and slice apples into no more than 3/8 inch thickness
Pack apples into jars

To prepare liquid filling:

In large saucepan or pot, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Add 10 cups water, stirring to dissolve.
Bring to boil over high heat.
Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens slightly (mixture will be runny).
Add lemon juice, stirring to blend.
Remove from heat after lemon juice is blended. There is no need to bring it back to a boil.

To combine:

Pour liquid filling over apples in quart jars
Place lids and rings in boiling water for 3 minutes (condensation will occur due to pouring hot liquid into jars)
Wipe tops of jars carefully with dry rag or paper towel
Screw on lids and rings tightly
Process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes
Remove from boiling water bath and set on clean towel to dry and cool
Store in a cool, dry area – cupboards work fine
Yield: Approximately 7 quarts

Tips and Hints:

This filling will be thin when canned, to allow the apples to soak up the filling.
Before using, pour filling into pot. Add 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and bring to a boil. Mixture will thicken nicely and be ready for use at that time.
Use only wide-mouth jars for this recipe, as regular mouth jars do not allow easy escape for the apple slices.
Use a canning funnel to help pour the liquid into the jars.
Always be careful when handling knives or coring machines.
Always use proper safety procedures when handling stoves and hot jars.
Flour and oatmeal can also be used to thicken mixture, if desired – oatmeal can work particularly well if the filling will be used for an apple crisp instead of a pie.
Filling, after proper processing in boiling water bath, can be stored for up to a year before use.
If jars do not seal after processing in boiling water bath, use immediately or within one week – do not store for long-term use.

Germaine Felder - I am a stay-at-home mom with one wonderful husband and one beautiful son. I have always been interested in writing, both fiction and ...