This is a staple at our house. I use it all year, and not just in pies, I make cobblers, dumplings and sometimes ice cream topping from my canned apple pie filling.
You can make it at home, but it is not for the novice canner. You need some experience canning other foods before you attempt making canned apple pie filling.
(makes 6 or 7 quarts)
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 cups water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
8 to 9 pounds of tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 16 cups of
sliced apples)
In a large saucepan blend the first five dry ingredients. Stir in 10 cups
water, cook on medium-high heat; stir until thickened and bubbly; cook an
additional 2 minutes.
Add lemon juice, and if desired, food coloring. Add
the apples to the sauce. Stir constantly and bring mixture up to a rolling
boil; cook 1 minute.
Promptly ladle mixture into jars, leaving 1/2 inch
headroom. Adjust lids and boiling water bath for 25 minutes.
1 quart of pie filling yields one 9 inch pie.
This makes a delicious pie or even cobbler, however, you may not have access to tapioca so if you would prefer to use Clear Jel, you may. Use 2 tablespoons per quart of filling, so for the amount of apples in this recipe you need about 14 tablespoons.
About Sylvia
[...] (Also see this recipe for apple pie filling.) I like to use a combination of cooking and baking type apples to make homemade, canned apple pie filling. [...]