Home Canned Apple Slices in Red Hot Syrup

Lemon Juice Soak:

• 1 Gallon Water
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Peel, core and slice approximately 20 pounds of apples. Place them into a large bowl of lemon juice soak and ensure they are fully submersed.  This Lemon Juice Soak will keep the apples from turning brown.

Red Hot Syrup:

Cinnamon Red Hots

• 20 Cups Water
• 8 – 10 Cups Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1/3 Cup Red Hots

Mix the four above ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil, dissolving the red hots and sugar into a syrup.

Drain the lemon juice soak from the apple slices and add them to the boiling syrup mixture.  Boil the apples in the syrup for 10 minutes.  This is called hot packing the apples.

Fill your jars with the apples and syrup, making sure there is enough syrup in the jar to cover the apples.  Then add a sterilized lid (see below) and lightly  place a ring on the jar.

Put the jars into the canning rack and set it inside the water-bath canner.  Make sure water covers all of the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches.  Turn the canner on high and bring it to a boil.  Once the water-bath begins to boil start your processing time.

Pints need to process for 20 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.

When the jars are done processing they should be removed from the water-bath and spaced 1 inch apart on a clean dry towel on the counter.  Let the jars cool for 24 hours.  During this time they will seal.  After jars have cooled, test for seal.To test to ensure that the jars sealed press down on the center of the lid. The lid should be con-caved and not move when pressed. Another method is to tap the lid with the bottom of a teaspoon.

When completely cool, the screw bands should be tightened. Be sure to label canned jars with contents and processing date. Store jars in a cool dark, dry place.

Apple Pie Filling is a wonderful item to can, it is one of my families favorite item.  In fact when my husband and I first got married this was the first thing that I canned.  I canned 12 quarts of filling expecting that we would eat one per month.

It was not to be, my husband loved it so much all 12 quarts were gone in about 2 to 3 months.  Then for another 9 to 10 months we talked about how good it was and that we should have done way more. For a few years I did just that, canned 36 to 40 quarts of filling, but it seemed that the more I canned the more we ate plus as the kids are growing I am needing to can more.

Now we have it as an art, we can not only Apple Pie Filling, but also Blueberry Pie Filling and Cherry Pie Filling.  Not to mention all the other basic fruits and vegetables.  It seems like we have been able to can just enough to get us until next summer when we do it all over again.

Jar of Homemade Apple Pie Filling

Here is the best Apple Pie Filling recipe and directions that you will ever can.

• Approximately 20 pounds of apples and the following recipe will make 6-7 quarts of apple pie filling.
• 1 Gallon Water
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Peel, Slice and Core your apples and soak them in a water and lemon solution.  This allows the apples to retain their color and not brown.  You can skip the soaking step, but if you do then you need to have the sauce prepared first and immediately pour it over the apples once you prep them and place them into the jars.

SAUCE:

• 4 1/2 Cups Sugar
• 2 Tsp Cinnamon
• 2 Tsp Nutmeg
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Cornstarch or Clear Jel

Mix all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and set aside.

• 10 Cups Cold Water
• 3 Tbs Lemon Juice

Put the cold water and lemon juice in a pot.  Add the dry ingredients and whisk well.  It may be a little lumpy to begin with, but it will thicken up and separate.  Turn the heat on and bring the sauce to a boil.  The sauce will turn from a cloudy white and brown liquid mixture to a nice clear brown thick sauce mixture.

Pour the sauce over the apples and place  lid and ring on.  Be sure to leave a 1/2 inch to 1 inch head space on each jar.  This is especially important with this recipe because the sauce has a tendency to expand.

Once you have your jars ready it is time to process them in a water-bath.  To water-bath place a water-bath canner on the stove on high and add your jars to it.  When the water comes to a boil begin your timer.  Water-bath your quart jars for 35 minutes and pints for 25 minutes.

When the time is up use a jar grabber to remove the jars from the boiling water and place them on a towel spaced so that they do not touch.  Leave the jars for 24 hours so that they can cool and seal.  Once they have cooled and sealed label them and store them in a cool dark place.  If the jars do not seal place them into the fridge and use them first.

If  you perhaps fill you jars too full and they expand too much in the water-bath that it causes the sauce to leak out between the rim and lid do not fear too much, there is a chance for your jars to still seal.  There is more of a probability that they will not seal because of the sauce between the rim and seal, however I had 6 jars that were filled too full and 5 of them sealed one year that I did this.

Note:  I prefer to boil my lids so that they are sterilized prior to putting them on the jars.

Here is a great recipe to use along with your Apple Pie Filling:

Apple Crisp