Fall Means Apple Pie

Apple pie has to be my all time favorite pie. So now that I am in "filling the pantry" mode, I stocked up on apples and tackled canning fresh apple pie filling. 

In gathering items needed to make the filling, I used a coupon at a local kitchen goods store to purchase an apple/peeler/slicer/corer to make the process a little faster. Canning is not a quick process and anything to speed up the prep work is worth the money spent in my opinion. However, this step can be done with a regular vegetable peeler and knife if purchasing a new gadget is not in the budget! Apples are in season, so those were readily available at a really good price. I soon realized that Clear Jel is NOT the same as Sure Jell. From my research, I also found that corn starch as a thickening agent is not recommended in home canning and food preservation. Unfortunately, I was not able to find Clear Jel at a local retailer. I did order mine from HERE and paid for quicker shipping since I had already purchased apples. The Clear Jel did arrive quickly, as promised, and luckily my apples did not spoil! 

Being a visual learner, I watched THIS video a few times prior to actually making my own filling. The video has a link to the recipe, but if you don't feel the need to watch the video THIS is the recipe. You will need to measure how many apples you have and then use the chart to determine how much of each ingredient to use. I had approximately 6 pounds of apples. I used a ratio of 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice to 1 quart of water for the apples to soak and prevent discoloration in lieu of Fruit Fresh. 

After all the peeling, coring, slicing, and dicing, the pantry will have 9 pints of pie filling for us to enjoy!

If you are lucky enough to be near an apple orchard, I am jealous! If not, make your way to your local market, get lots of apples and make pie filling for your pantry!  Happy Canning! 


ITEMS TO GATHER:
Water bath canner
Jars, lids and rims
Apple peeling/coring items you prefer
Lemon juice/water or Fruit Fresh/water
Apples
Clear Jel
Granulated sugar
Cinnamon
Lemon Juice
Cold water 
Apple Juice
*optional: nutmeg and yellow food coloring

Luckily, there was just enough filling that wouldn't fit in the jars, so we had apple crisp for dessert! I did not get a chance to take a picture because we were so excited to try it...it was ALL gone before I even thought about taking a quick pic! I am positive we will have it again in the near future...and I will try to remember to share with you all ;)