An apple a day, keeps the doctor away!

One of my favorite things about fall are sweet, crisp, apples. My all time favorite apple is the Jonathan Apple. It is crisp, a little tart, and has the perfect texture for pies, cobblers, and for eating plain. We planted a jonathan apple tree four years ago, but for some reason only get about 5-10 apples per year. In the mean time my grandma has a tree that is producing like crazy and so she gave me four big bags full of apples. Yippee!

So, what do I do with my apples, besides eat them?? Apple Pie Filling! YUM! If you have one of the fancy-dancy apple corer-peeler's from Pampered Chef (or wherever else they sell them), you will LOVE making pie filling. In about 4-5 hours I was able to bottle and can over 30 jars of apple pie filling. This pie filling is perfect for apple pie (Thanksgiving here we come!), apple cobbler, over pancakes (this is awesome with German Pancakes or w/ our Apple Wheat Pancake recipe), or inside of crepes. There are so many uses for pie filling, once you can them and have them on your shelf, the possibilities will be endless!

Here is my Grandma's Apple Pie Filling Recipe:

Jonathan Apples (or whatever kind you have on hand)
10 c. water
1 c. cornstarch
4 1/2 c. white sugar
2 T. cinnamon (or more if you like cinnamon)
2 t. nutmeg
1 cap full Almond Extract
2 T. lemon juice
2 t. salt

Mix the 10 c. of water, sugar, spices, and 1 c. of cornstarch together in a large sauce pan. When stirred together turn the heat to medium/high and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for just a couple of minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick. When sauce is thick, take off the heat and add the lemon juice and Almond Extract. Set mixture aside until apples are in their jars and ready to be filled.

For apples:

Peel, core, and slice the apples (with the Peeler/Corer/Slicer, or by hand). Remove any blemishes from the apples, and then put the apples inside the cleaned jars. Fill the apple jars with the cinnamon/sugar mixture until 1 inch from the top of the jars. Wipe the top of the lids with a clean and damp rag and put the lid and band on the jar. Place in a wet bath filled with water, and bring water to a boil (with jars inside). When boil comes to a rolling boil, set the timer for 40 minutes.




**Check the comment section of this post that will give you guidelines and rules for 'approved' bottling recipes and processing times. I am not claiming to be a canning expert, so check the link NCHFP: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_02/can_pie/apple_filling.html if you would like an 'official' and approved recipe. I just know what I have done for 10 years, that has worked so far :)


Jonathan Apple