Canned Apple Pie Filling

Evan, Leia, Charles, and I went to Manzano apple farm and picked apples. Very wormy and small this year, but delicious once I cleaned them up for canning! It makes me so happy to see these beautiful jars of food!

This was an Amish recipe that I altered a bit. It makes 6 quarts at a time. If it is not upsetting to you, you can even make it with the peels still on the apple slices. I like it just fine that way which saves time since I don't have a peeler and is healthier overall. But most the time, I hand peel them with a knife or carrot peeler. And then rinse with water in a colander to make sure they're clean. You can toss with a little lemon juice to prevent browning, but the browning doesn't matter in the end.

Clean and Sterilize your jars and bands. Make sure you have new lids and keep them in simmering water for 10 minutes. (Now they say this is unnecessary- that your jars just need to be clean and warm-like freshly rinsed with HOT water- and you don't need to simmer lids- just wash and dry them). 

*Slice the apples larger than normal because they have to cook both in the jars while you are processing them, and again when you make them into pie. Make sure you are using hard apples that are good for baking like Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonathan, Fuji, and Braeburn, and make sure they are fresh! And tart! You can mix apple varieties.

6 quart Mason jars with bands and lids (wide mouth is easier if you have it)

6-7 lbs fresh apples*, peeled, and sliced large (about 18 large Granny Smith, or 30 medium, etc)

pack apples tightly into 6 quart jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Don't be afraid to break a couple to cram them in.

1 c. clear jel cornstarch (not instant)

4 1/2 c. sugar (note to self-try 4)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt or pure salt (not iodized table salts- will interfere with canning)
9 c. cold or tap water
1/3 c. bottled lemon juice
few drops yellow food coloring for nice color (optional)

Add dry ingredients to a med-large pot and whisk together. Turn heat to high and whisk in water. Use spatula or wooden spoon to make sure everything is off the bottom and edges and whisking together. Stir every few minutes. Let it come to a boil and boil for 3 minutes or so. Remove from heat and add in the lemon juice and food coloring. It is now ready to ladle over the apples. 

Use a funnel to ladle hot syrup into each jar. Leave 1" headspace. Use a long thin knife or spatula or wooden skewer to slide down the insides of the jar to remove any hiding air pockets. This will usually make your apples sink a little lower, so add more syrup to the 1" headspace again if necessary. 

With a clean cloth and HOT water, wipe each rim to make sure it has none of the sticky syrup or anything on it that would interfere with a seal. It must be completely clean. Now place the lids on top and screw on the bands finger-tight (which is a little loose).

Use a canning jar lifter to gently place all 6 jars of apples into your boiling water-bath canner. Water should cover the tops by 2 inches as some water will boil off. Process (which means keep in the boiling water) for 20 minutes + 15 for our altitude (nealy 7000 feet). Turn off heat (or remove the giant pot from off the burner if electric) and let jars sit cooling for 10 minutes. This is so they don't break their seal and start leaking liquid with the shock of going from boiling-hot to room-temperature. 

Remove jars to cool on a towel and don't touch for 24 hours. After 24 hours, remove bands and check seals by pressing down in the center. If it doesn't move, it is sealed. You can also try picking them up by the lids and they won't come off. If they pop up and down or come off, you did something wrong somewhere, and you should refrigerate the jar and use within a week to make apple pie. We use a storebought pie-crust for the bottom, dump the quart of apple pie filling in, dot with and ounce or so of cream cheese, and make a streusal topping to sprinkle over top. 

**When making a pie, since the apples were already cooked to process them, I bake a store-bought pie-crust for 10 minutes at 400 first, then dump in the apple pie filling, dot with and ounce or so of cream cheese, and then top with a streusal topping (1/4 cup cold butter cut up into 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/8 tsp baking powder), and return pie to oven for 30 minutes or so, turning oven down to 350 after putting it in). Turns out delicious! And you don't have to use all the syrup from the jar if you feel it is too sweet. 

Sealed jars last up to 18 months, but best to use within a year.