Allllll the apples ~ and ~ Apple Pie Filling Recipe

Y'all.  We preserved apples this weekend.  So many apples.  As I mentioned, we decided to make some apple treats besides applesauce this year.

First, I made six half pints of caramel apple jam,

and I started a batch of apple cider vinegar with the scraps.

Why yes, I am using a pteranondon jelly glass as a fermentation weight in my apple cider vinegar.

The next day, I thought I was making apple cider, but it turns out I was actually extracting pectin.  Whoops.  I guess that's what I get for listening to random strangers on the internet rather than using a tested, trusted recipe.

This apple cider looks suspiciously like applesauce.

Oh wait.  I'm a random stranger on the internet.  For some of you, anyway.  Don't listen if I try to tell you how to make apple cider, kay?

Improvised jelly bag.  I wasn't ever going to finish that quilt anyway.

So, yeah.  I've got about a gallon of apple pectin.  Or apple juice concentrate?  It's slippery.  And does not taste like apples.  But at least it's a pretty color.

Next, we started in on the applesauce.  We ended day two with 25 pints.  We decided to do mostly pints this year because they're a better size for giving away as gifts.

Applesauce.  It felt like waaay more than this.

Day three, I made a batch of apple pie filling.  I had been planning on using a random stranger's recipe, because it sounded good, but after the apple cider pectin debacle, I reverted back to a recipe given to me by a friend a couple of years ago (recipe below--I don't know if you can trust me on this or not--it's one of those handed down recipes that has been used for years, but it's not necessarily approved by the USDA).

Apple Pie Filling.  So pretty.

Then we made another 6 quarts, 10 pints, and one half pint of applesauce, for a grand total of 10.375 gallons of applesauce, to round out this years' apple preserving.

We are done.  But y'all.  We made all that with the apples from just one of our two apple trees.  I might grab some off the other tree to make muffins or apple crisp, but we're going to #feedthewildlife with most of the rest of the apples.  The deer, turkeys, bears, and chickens will thank us.

Here's that recipe--enjoy!

Apple Pie Filling (for canning)

(Click here to print)

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Ingredients (Makes 7 Quarts)

• Apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (enough to fill 7 quart jars with one inch headspace)
• 4 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. Clear Jel (a modified corn starch that's safe for canning--you want the "cook type", not instant)
• 1 T ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t salt
• 10 c. water
• 3 T bottled lemon juice

Instructions

1. Peel. core, and chop the apples. I used our apple peeler to peel, then our apple slicer/corer to core and slice.
2. Fill seven quart sized canning jars with apple chunks, just up to the neck.
3. In a large saucepan, stir together sugar, clear jel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add water and stir.
4. On medium high heat, cook and stir until the mixture boils and thickens (this took a lot longer than I was expecting, but be patient--it'll happen).
5. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
6. Add hot syrup to apple-filled jars, using a bubble popper or the handle of a wooden spoon to help the syrup move down and fill all the air pockets. Leave 1 inch headspace, making sure all the apples are covered in syrup.
7. Process in water bath canner for 20 minutes.

To Use

• One quart will fill a 9" pie. Bake according to recipe instructions.
• Apple Pie Filling also makes a delicious Apple Crisp. Just follow your favorite recipe for the topping.
• Apple Pie Filling can be used to top ice cream or other desserts.
• If you have extra syrup, you can use it to top ice cream or pancakes.

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