My husband is a HUGE apple pie fan, so ever since his Aunt Anita started giving some of her canned apple pie filling to us for Christmas, I have been wanting to learn to do the same.
Well, I finally did it! Friday, the boys and I went to her home where we all, including Grandma, peeled, cored and sliced up 6 large boxes of the hugest apples I have ever seen. She then taught me all the steps to canning and sent me home with 16 jars AND a box of apples. We had fun and I learned a lot, including that canning apples is not very difficult. I don’t know what the exact cost ended up as there was a lot of sugar involved, among other things. I do know, however, that the price of the apples was $.50/lb. I would imagine it did come out cheaper to can apples ourselves versus buying the filling or even buying a pie, but even if it didn’t, I now have a delicious dessert that takes only minutes to prepare and is just waiting in my pantry. Since I’m not real great at planning ahead for events, this is the perfect way for me to still bring or have something yummy and not spend a fortune.
If you’re interested in canning your own; here is what you do and what you’ll need:
Equipment:
quart jars, 6lb. make at least 7 jars worth
canning lids
Canning pot with wire rack
large bowl
large pot
peeler/corer/slicer or a knife
wide mouth funnel
Ingredients:
apples, depends on how much you want to make, at least a couple boxes to start
sugar
cornstarch
cinnamon
nutmeg
lemon juice
Directions: In a large sauce pan, blend together:
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
10 cups water
Cook and stir until thick & bubbly. About 20 minutes
Add 3 tsp. lemon juice.
Fill canning pot about halfway with water and turn on high to bring to a boil.
While the sauce is cooking, peel, core and slice about 6 lbs. of apples. Place apples in a bowl of water with 1 tablespoon of apple cidar vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt. This will keep them from browning.
Pack jars about 1/2 full of apples, fill with sauce, more apples, more sauce until filled to 1 inch of very top of jar. It’s okay to get messy and cram in as many apples as you can, just make sure you leave enough room for the sauce to cover all the apples as well.
Load wire rack with jars and set into boiling water. Place lid on top and set timer for 20 minutes.
Now’s the time to do the dishes!
If you are like me and need pictures of each step by step process, then check out this blog post from Idaho. She did the exact same thing, but made it look real pretty.
Rebecca
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Made this today. Everything looked great until I did the water bath. Now my syrup is on the bottom and my apples on the top. Did I do something wrong?
THANK YOU for the recipe! My brother-in-law just offered me the leftover apples on his trees and we're going apple picking today!!! We don't really eat applesauce – but I'm really excited to make apple pie filling. Wish us luck!
Great Job FL!!! Sometimes it's not the economics of canning your own fruits and veggies, it's the feeling of accomplishment when you open your cupboard in the dead of winter and see the results your hard work. Also you are using jars that can be reused often.
You can use Clear Jel from the health food store for your apple pie filling.
Thank you!
Laurie J.,
we purchased the apples in Sweet Home, where my aunt lives. And I usually make apple crisp with mine as well!
We can peaches and pears but I love your idea for the apple pie filling. Where did you find your apples for 0.50 lb? I would love to try this one myself! Thank you for the idea. I am guessing that I could make apple crisp this way as well.
You can absolutely use it for apple crisp. I just made a 9 x 13 crisp using 2 quarts of apple pie filling & spreading the oatmeal/brown sugar/ flour/butter mixture on top. Fast & Yummy! Perfect combination!
I love the idea of this as a gift, yummy.
Manderley,
Just one!
my big question is…how many quarts does it take to make a 9" pie?
I canned about 30 quarts of green beans last month. It was also really fun. We saved alot of money by picking them ourselves, it added an additional day to the process but hey the kids don't have much to do in the summer anyway!
Beautiful! All that work really does pay off! If you come up this way anytime soon, you can buy apples for as little as .20 a pound straight from the orchard.