I had some time yesterday so I picked a bag of apples and made a batch of pie filling. It's a great pie filling but we rarely use it for that. Mostly we use it as a topping for pancakes, french toast and ice cream which is why I can it in pint jars instead of quarts. This is a good way for preserving apples and I also used a variation of this recipe to make marionberry, blueberry and raspberry filling/topping this year. If time allows I'm also going to give peaches a try.
Recipe:
9 1/2 cups water
5 - 7 cups sugar (depending on the tartness of the apples and the desired sweetness of the filling)
1 3/4 cups clear jel cook type corn starch
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup lemon juice
6 quarts peeled and sliced apples
Peel and slice the apples and place in a bowl with water and some lemon juice to prevent browning - set aside
Mix other ingredients in a large stock pot with the exception of the lemon juice - heat over medium high heat stirring constantly until it thickens and begins to bubble - stir in lemon juice and once mixed remove from heat
Mix syrup and apple slices and fill the jars leaving an honest 1" space at the top - use a knife or spatula to remove air bubbles
Wipe the jar rim and place the lids and bands
Process in boiling water - pints 25 minutes, quarts 30 minutes
Makes 8 quarts or 16 pints
