Canning apple pie filling at house means you’re simply minutes away from having a pie within the oven. The apples are already peeled, chopped, seasoned and thickened. That means that you can simply pour the pre-made apple pie filling into your favourite crust and bake. Subsequent time you want one thing fast for a potluck, you’ll be able to nonetheless convey a do-it-yourself apple pie.
Reading: Canning apples for pie filling
It’s a gorgeous fall day in Vermont and I spent the day at a decide your personal orchard with my youngsters gathering the apples for canning apple pie filling. We usually have loads of homegrown apples, however our bushes took the 12 months off this 12 months which provided the proper excuse to soak up the surroundings at certainly one of Vermont’s loveliest fall points of interest.
As we’re testing, I look over to see that I’m not the one one which had the identical concept. The orchard was promoting their very own canned apple pie filling.
I do know canning apple pie filling takes numerous work, however $13 a jar appeared like fairly a bit for one pie. Pondering on it although, a grocery retailer or farmer’s market apple pie prices about $20 to purchase. In the long run, canning my very own did save fairly a bit of cash, assuming my labor is free. Every quart jar took about 3 kilos of apples (at $1 per pound) plus a tiny little bit of sugar and spices, and I obtained paid for my labor canning within the financial savings. Good factor I really like canning, so I receives a commission to do what I really like!
Whereas many individuals bemoan canning as “a lot of work” actually it simply prepares meals to make homecooked meals easier afterward. As an alternative of peeling apples for a pie that wanted to be within the oven an hour in the past, you’ve already performed the work and canned up all that effort for home-cooked scrumptious while you want it.
Personally, I believe it’s simpler to peel a bushel of apples abruptly when I’ve the time than to strive clearing counter area on a busy weeknight. I get in a groove that manner, and it’s only one mess to wash up. Nonetheless, it solely took me about 20 to half-hour to peel, core and slice the 12 cups of apples I wanted for this canner batch of apple pie filling.
After peeling and chopping, the following step is blanching the apples. It appears a bit unusual to pre-cook apples which are going to be canned after which baked right into a pie, however bear with me right here. It’s a fast one minute blanch that principally serves to pre-heat the apples and drive off the air inside the fruit.
Whenever you uncooked pack for canning, the fruit all the time floats as a result of it comprises a stunning quantity of air in its tissues. Toss the sliced apples into boiling water and also you’ll see simply what I imply. The water will cease boiling when the cool apples go in, however the apples themselves will bubble.
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All that air would have been taking over area in your canning jars, however now you’ll have additional apple taste as an alternative.
As soon as the apple slices are blanched, they’ll have misplaced a considerable portion of their complete quantity. Beginning with 12 cups of sliced apples blanched in two batches of 6 cups every, I might guess that I ended up with roughly 9 cups of blanched apple slices. They had been solely about 2/3 the way in which up the edges of a bowl they’d beforehand stuffed, although they retained their form and shade superbly.
After they’re faraway from the boiling water, the apple slices want to remain heat. I positioned them right into a thick-sided bowl and coated it with a kitchen plate whereas making the remainder of the filling.
The apple slices can’t go into the canning jars alone, however canning them in water or syrup would needlessly draw out their taste. They’re canned in a pre-thickened gel made with sugar, spices and clear jel. Whereas you should use flour to thicken common pie filling, it received’t do for canned pie filling. Clear gel is a particular kind of cornstarch that flows whereas it’s scorching, however units up properly as soon as it’s cooled.
Clear gel could be heated and cooled a number of occasions, which means that it may be put up in canning jars after which baked into a gorgeous do-it-yourself apple pie later. There are two sorts of clear gel, so be certain you get the cooking kind clear gel for canning apple pie filling.
The filling liquid consists of clear jel, sugar, spices, apple juice, lemon juice, and water. All of these components (besides the lemon juice) are added right into a pot and simmered till it begins to thicken. Then the lemon juice is added, and the combination is returned to a boil for 1 extra minute. After that, the recent blanched apples are combined again into the pie filling liquid.
Working shortly, pack the apple pie filling into canning jars (pints or quarts) leaving 1 inch of headspace. It’s necessary to take away air bubbles at this step earlier than making use of two-part canning lids.
As soon as the jars are stuffed and lids connected, the apple pie filling is canned in a water tub canner for 25 minutes. At that time, flip off the range and permit the jars to sit down for an extra 5 minutes. This additional 5 minutes is admittedly necessary!
I do know, it appears foolish, but when the jars are nonetheless boiling scorching after they’re eliminated, the apple pie filling is at a excessive danger of siphoning.
What’s siphoning? It’s a lack of liquid in canning, and on this case, it’s a lack of scorching gelled pie filling liquid. The fast temperature change when the recent jars hit the air may cause scorching pie filling to erupt out of the highest and it makes an enormous scorching sticky mess. The jars will possible nonetheless seal, and in the event that they do they’re nonetheless high quality to retailer at room temperature.
Simply wait for them to chill utterly, verify the seals and clear off any sticky pie filling on the surface.
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I’ve by no means had the rest siphon on me throughout canning, besides apple pie filling. Even different canned pie fillings, like my do-it-yourself peach pie filling, by no means have points. Lookup articles about siphoning throughout canning they usually virtually all the time point out apple pie filling. It’s infamous for this drawback.
To stop siphoning, actually work to take away the air bubbles inside the jar, and be sure to depart an ample 1-inch headspace. Then, as soon as the canning time is up, enable the jars to sit down for no less than 5 minutes (perhaps 10 to be protected) earlier than eradicating them from the water tub canner.
For those who’re additional cautious, siphoning doesn’t need to be an issue when canning apple pie filling. As soon as your jars are cooled to room temperature and also you’ve checked seals, they’re prepared for storage at room temperature. It takes roughly one quart plus one pint of canned apple pie filling to fill a standard-sized apple pie, or two full quarts for a heaping or deep-dish pie.
For small batches, you’ll be able to put up pint jars as effectively, they usually work splendidly for apple turnovers or as a pancake topping. I like to make use of it as a part of my apple pie shortbread bars.
A be aware on selecting apples for pie filling…the apple must be a agency apple that doesn’t break down throughout cooking. Any apple that’s “good for applesauce” is not so good as a pie apple. My favourite apple for pies is Honeycrisp, and that’s what I’m utilizing right here. They’ve loads of acid, which balances the sweetness they usually maintain collectively very well throughout cooking.
For extra concepts, try this record of one of the best apples for apple pie.
This recipe for home-canned apple pie filling comes from The Ball Full E book of House Preserving, which is my go-to useful resource for protected canning recipes. I lowered the cinnamon from 1 1/2 teaspoons per batch to 1/2 a teaspoon as a result of I like a much less cinnamon heavy pie, however be at liberty to make use of the complete quantity in case you’re an enormous fan of cinnamon.
When you’ve got a severe bumper crop of apples, I wrote one other article that covers greater than 30 methods to protect apples, each historic and fashionable. This apple pie filling canning recipe is only one tasty choice, however there are extra methods to place up apples!
Apple Canning Recipes
Trying for extra tasty canning recipes? There are such a lot of methods to jar up apples this fall…
- Canning Applesauce
- Canning Apple Butter
- Canning Apple Cider
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