Apple Pie Filling

I started off with the recipe found here, but adapted it a bit and altered the amounts so that it would do a canner load of 7 quarts of Apple Pie Filling. Try it out!

Ingredients:

• 5 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I put more because I like it!)
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 11 1/2 cups water
• 3 Tbsp + 1 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 7 lbs apples

Directions:

Mix sugar, corn starch and spices in the bottom of your stock pot. Add the salt and water and stir it well. Boil it until it is thick and at a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Fill your sanitized jars (I do mine in the dishwasher) with apples that have been peeled (or leave the peels on, like I do--added nutrients and great color!), cored and sliced thin. Pack them in, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Fill jars with syrup and remove air bubbles with a long wooden spoon handle by poking it into the jar up and down a bit. Wipe the rims. Put on the lids and tighten them down. Process the jars for at least 20 minutes. Cool them on a towel, check for a good seal and store!

According to this site:

"Granny Smiths are always a decent choice for pie, as they are easy to find, will hold up during baking and can take a lot of extra flavor from sugar and spices. Jonathan, Jonagold and Pippin apples are other excellent sweet-tart choices. Gravenstein, Braeburn, Fuji and Pink Lady Apples are all crisp and sturdy, as well. Red Delicious and Golden Delicious, despite their promising names, are not good choices for baking, and neither are Gala and Cortland, since they tend to become mealy in pie fillings."

I used Empire this year. I think they taste like Granny Smiths but are a little bit sweeter!