Today’s recipe comes to you courtesy of James, who brought over a bushel of gala apples. What to do? Apple pie filling is a must. I’ll decide what to do with the other 2/3 bushel later…
Just so you know, this is only a part of the apples required for the recipe.
INGREDIENT
10 pounds tart apples, (20 cups sliced) a combination is nice, but these are gala apples
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Clear Jel
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 Teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups cold water
5 cups apple juice
3/4 cup lemon juice, bottled
Begin by washing, peeling, coring and slicing the apples. This can be laborious and time consuming unless you have one of these handy dandy tools.
It’s an all in one tool that peels, cores, and slices an apple in just a few seconds. It’s the best $20 I’ve ever spent. It took about 20 minutes to prepare 10 pounds of apples.
The cores and peels can be used to make juice for jelly, or you can make Apple Cider Vinegar, or you can feed it to the pigs…they love them!
Isn’t it beautiful! I slice it in half for this recipe.
10 pounds of apples seems like a lot of apples!
In a large stockpot, bring one gallon of water to a boil. Add about 1/3 of the slices, return to a boil, and cook for one minute. Strain, place the apples in a large bowl and cover while you cook the remaining apples.
In another large pot, add the sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, nutmeg, water, and apple juice. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil. This mixture will thicken as it heats up. When it begins to bubble well, remove from heat and add the lemon juice. It will look like a soft caramel.
Add the apple slices and fold in carefully.
Ladle into sterilized quart jars, remove air bubbles, wipe rims, place on a 2 piece lid, and water bath for 25 minutes. Allow the jars to remain in the water for 5 minutes before removing.
Remove from the water bath and place on a towel. Allow the jars to sit for 24 hours before labeling and placing in storage.
The number of jars you get will vary. This batch yielded 5 quarts.
How many quart jars did you end up filling ,on my way to get jars ,how many will I need?
It will vary but I got 5 quarts from this batch…I have gotten 6 before.
Thank you .I got almost 6.That means I will just have to make a small Apple cobbler today.Thank you for your delicious receipe.
You’re very welcome!
My daughter and I made this today… we got 6 and 3/4 quarts from one batch, I think we got a few extra apples in as the grandkids were helping They all worked very hard! we are real happy with the results and the leftover in the bowl is very tasty! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
You are very welcome!
I am so excited to try this recipe; however I have never canned anything in my life! I have been reading about the cleaning and sterilization process and feel confident I can do that part. My question is in reference to the steps after filling the jars with the apple filling. I am unsure of what a water bath means. Would you mind clarifying that for me?
Thanks.
Sure, glad to help! A waterbath is a very large pot that allows you to put several jars in at the same time and completely cover them with water. They can be purchased at most hardware stores and stores such as Walmart. To use, add a sufficient amount of water to cover the jars by one inch. Bring the water to a boil and place your filled jars in the waterbath. You will also need a jar lifter which can be purchased at the same stores. Return to a boil, cover with the lid, and process for the amount of time the recipe calls for. I hope this helps. Let me know if you need further information. HAPPY CANNING!
Thank you so much!
Clear Jel…. is that gelatin?
No, it’s different than gelatin. Our stores do not carry it here so I order it online from Amazon
What is clear jell? I got Certo premium liquid fruit pectin. Is that the same?
Clear Jell is what is used to thicken the pie filling. It’s different than pectin. It works more like corn starch and holds up under high heat. I could not find it in any of our stores and had to order it online. I have read that you can substitute tapioca starch but I’ve never tried it and would be afraid to recommend using it.
Ok thank you!
Can you half this recipe?
I just made these and got 5 quarts also.
Awesome! You will enjoy them this winter.
Can I substitute clear gel for cornstarch?
Cornstarch will not work in this canning recipe. It will become clumpy and cloudy and is not recommended for safe canning practices.