7 Pint-sized Successes

I spent a good couple of hours yesterday preparing the filling. I got such a late start that I thought I was gonna be late getting WT from school. (I was right on time, by the way.)

So, I know the idea of home preservation is like totally scary, but it really is easy - though time consuming. However, the feeling of accomplishment is so a total high that I almost forget about all the hard work it took to get there. Kinda like having a baby - the joy of meeting the little one supersedes the previous 9 months of sickness/pain/discomfort.

Remember all those apples that I peeled the other day? I ended up with just a little over 12 cups, sliced (I'm thinking that I'll dice them next time), which were blanched for about a minute then put into a bowl to keep warm while the filling cooked.

Sliced and ready for the hot bath

 

The filling: Clearjel, Lemon Juice, Unsweetened Apple Juice (not pictured: sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg)

 The filling calls for 2 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice, 1 1/4 cups cold water, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3/4 cup ClearJel (which you can find on Amazon), 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg. Combine all that, minus the lemon juice, in a large stainless steel saucepan. Cook that over medium high heat until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly. Add the lemon juice and cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.

**Note: this is processed using the water bath method. Start your canner before starting the filling. Also, when you start the canner, prepare your jars so they'll be ready when you are.**

Drain the apples that have been keeping warm and immediately fold them into the filling. Ladel the filling into the prepared jars, wipe the rim, and put on a lid. (If needed, clean the jar where the band screws on.) Now screw on a band, finger tight. Put in the canning rack, and submerge in the boiling water. Process 25 minutes. Remove, place jars on a toweled surface to cool, and listen for the "PING!" Leave them on the counter overnight and check for a good seal by removing the band and gently lifting the jar just off the counter by the lid.

Waiting for the hot bath

Today's project: sweet cherry pie filling.