Quick & Homemade Apple Pie Filling with Canning
Preparing Homemade Apple Pie Filling for Preservation
Want a delectable slice of pie any time? Canning apple pie filling at home is a breeze! No more last-minute panicked searches. With this handy guide, you'll master the art of homemade apple pie filling. Plus, we'll provide pro tips to help you avoid those pesky siphoning issues.
Make Your Own Apple Pie Filling
- Gather the Goods: Prepare your apples by peeling, coring, and slicing. Go for firm, tangy apples to maintain texture during cooking.
- Prepare the Pie Syrup: Combine sugar and water (or apple juice) in a large pot. Add spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg for extra flavor.
- Cook With Apples: Toss the apple slices into the boiling syrup and cook until just tender (around 5 minutes).
- Thicken Things Up (Optional): If you prefer a thicker filling, incorporate ClearJel (a modified cornstarch suitable for canning) into the hot mix. Alternatively, you can forgo thickening during canning, then thicken after opening by mixing reserved liquid with cornstarch before baking. When thickening during canning, ClearJel is recommended.
- Warm Up Those Containers: Sterilize your canning jars and lids by boiling or following your canner’s guide. Keep jars hot until you fill them.
- Pour and Adjust: Fill your hot jars with the hot apple pie filling, leaving approximately 1 inch of headspace for expansion.
- Get Rid of Air Bubbles: Utilize a bubble remover or non-metallic spatula to release trapped air bubbles, preventing liquid leaks during processing.
- Clean the Rims: Ensure rims are clean prior to lid application to guarantee a perfect seal.
- ** Secure Lids**: Place lids on jars and tighten bands to fingertip tightness.
- Process: Place jars in a water bath canner with boiling water covering them by 1-2 inches. Process for recommended times based on jar size (typically 20-30 minutes for apple pie filling).
- Let Jars Cool: Carefully remove jars from canner and place on a towel to cool without disturbance for 12-24 hours.
- Examine Seals: Once cooled, verify container seals are snug. Any unsealed containers can be refrigerated and used quickly.
Pro Tip: Siphoning occurs when liquid escapes from jars during processing due to air bubbles or improper headspace. To mitigate siphoning, follow these steps:
- Use suitable headspace: Maintain about 1 inch of headspace between filling and jar rim. Too little headspace can cause liquid spillage, too much may lead to seal failures.
- Release Air Bubbles: Gently run a bubble remover or non-metal utensil around the inside edges of the jar after filling but before sealing to expel any trapped air bubbles.
- Keep jars warm before filling: Prevent temperature shocks by filling warm jars with hot filling.
- Screw lids lightly: Apply lids with fingertip tightness to allow venting during boiling water bath, lowering pressure buildup and siphoning.
- Maintain sufficient water levels: Ensure water covers jars by 1-2 inches for even heat distribution.
- Use a weighted or dial gauge pressure canner if necessary: This is more common for low-acid foods but is good practice to reduce siphoning.
Follow these steps to ensure you have a safe, lip-smacking apple pie filling with minimal siphoning! Get ready to tackle any occasion with homemade pie filling at your fingertips.
- Explore other delectable food-and-drink options by delving into a collection of home-and-garden recipes, encompassing canning recipes like strawberry jam or pickled vegetables for an expanded lifestyle.
- With the mastery of canning apple pie filling, you can then venture into several cooking ventures, using the same techniques to preserve a variety of home-grown fruits and vegetables to expand your food-and-drink horizons.
- Embrace the lifestyle shift towards self-sufficiency by transforming your kitchen into a bustling hub of deliciousness, producing an assortment of canning recipes that enhances your food-and-drink repertoire and suits your home-and-garden ambitions.
