I love apple season. When I lived in
New England,
I made regular trips to
Apple Hill Farm throughout autumn to get the
freshest apples and all the goodies made with them. (I loved their apple pie!) Here in
Topeka,
I like to head just outside of town to
Rees Fruit Farm for the same reason.
(Their apple cider donuts are to die for!)
Last weekend, the
Topeka Capital-Journal ran my recipes for
Apple-Maple Jam and Home-Canned Apple Pie Filling. They were such a hit I
wanted to share them here as well.
One word of caution:
When I started researching the pie filling recipe, I found many of them on the
internet. Most, like mine, were adapted from
this one put out by the Ball
canning folks. However, some of the recipes said to use quart-sized jars, with
the same timing as the Ball recipe, which calls for pint-sized jars. I called
up the Ball help line, and the lovely lady on the other end said the recipe has
only been tested for pint-sized jars and
would
not be safe using quart-sized jars! So please, stick with pint jars. (This
is a good lesson in not believing everything on the internet.)
The pie filling recipe calls for Clear Jel, a modified corn
starch that works as a thickener but is made to withstand the heat of canning. I
couldn’t find it in a local store, so I ordered it on Amazon. Be sure to get
the regular variety, not instant. I’ve heard you can use equal amounts of flour
as a thickener, but supposedly it creates a cloudy filling.
I’ve enjoyed the jam on my PB&J sandwiches, and the pie
filling is so much better than the store-bought kind. Thinking ahead, these
would also make great Christmas gifts.
Apple-Maple Jam
Recipe adapted from Ball
Blue Book Guide to Preserving
Makes 8 half-pint jars
Approximately 6 pounds baking apples (Granny Smith, Gala,
Jonathan, or Golden Delicious)
Lemon juice to prevent browning
6 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
Prepare jars: Wash
jars, lids, and rings. Place empty jars without lids into boiling-water canner
filled with simmering water. Keep the jars in the hot water until ready to use.
To make the jam: Peel, core and dice the apples into cold
water with lemon juice to prevent the apples from turning brown. You will need
12 cups of diced apples.
Place a small plate into the freezer. Drain the apples and
place them into a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil
over medium heat, stirring often to prevent sticking. Keep stirring and boil
for 20 minutes. Take the plate out of the freezer and drop a small amount of
the jam on top. Use your finger to test how well it gels. If it has gelled
enough, turn off the burner. If not, keep boiling and test every 5 minutes
until ready, up to 30 minutes.
When ready, turn off the heat. Take a jar out of the water
and drain. Ladle in the hot jam (a funnel helps) to about 1/4-inch from the
top. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel to clean off any drips.
Place a flat lid on top and screw on a ring. Repeat until all of the jars are
filled.
Place the jars into the canner. Make sure the water covers
the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches. Place the lid on the canner, bring back to
a boil, and process for 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat, remove the lid, and
allow the jars to stand in the hot water for 5 additional minutes.
Remove the jars from the canner and place on a towel to cool
completely. You will hear the lids start to pop almost immediately as they cool
and seal. After 12 to 24 hours, check
the seal on the cooled jars by pressing on the lid. If it springs back, the jar
is not sealed. Or remove the ring and make sure the flat lid is stuck tight to
the jar. If the jar is not sealed, the jam is still good. Just store the
unsealed jar in the refrigerator. Also refrigerate any jar after opening.
Home-Canned Apple Pie Filling
Makes 7 pints
This recipe calls for Clear Jel, a modified corn starch that
works as a thickener but is made to withstand the heat of canning. Be sure to
use the regular variety, not instant. I could not find it in local grocery
stores, so I ordered it from Amazon.
12 cups peeled and sliced baking apples (Granny Smith, Gala,
Jonathan, or Golden Delicious)
Lemon juice to prevent browning
1 1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups apple cider
2 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Clear Jel
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
Prepare jars: Wash
jars, lids, and rings. Place empty jars without lids into boiling-water canner
filled with simmering water. Keep the jars in the hot water until ready to use.
To make the jam: Peel, core and slice the apples into cold
water with lemon juice to prevent the apples from turning brown. You will need
12 cups of apples.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drain the apple slices
and blanch them in the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from the water with a
slotted spoon. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside.
In a large pot, add the apple cider and water. Whisk in the
sugar, Clear Jel, spices and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a
wooden spoon. The mixture will thicken almost immediately. Mix in the lemon
juice. Remove from the heat and stir in the apple slices.
Take a jar out of the water and drain. Ladle in the pie
filling (a funnel helps) to about 1 1/4-inch from the top. Remove air bubbles
with a wooden skewer or plastic knife. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp
paper towel to clean off any drips. Place a flat lid on top and screw on a
ring. Repeat until all of the jars are filled.
Place the jars into the canner. Make sure the water covers
the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches. Place the lid on the canner, bring back to
a boil, and process for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid, and
allow the jars to stand in the water an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the jars from the canner and place on a towel to cool
completely. You will hear the lids start to pop as they cool and seal. After 12 to 24 hours, check the seal on the
cooled jars by pressing on the lid. If it springs back, the jar is not sealed.
Or remove the ring and make sure the flat lid is stuck tight to the jar. If the
jar is not sealed, the filling is still good. Just store the unsealed jar in
the refrigerator. Also refrigerate any jar after opening.
For a 9-inch pie, you will need to use 3 pints of pie
filling.