How 'bout them apples?

Well...  the canner WAS still out. 

I went to the MIL's place yesterday and got some apples from her tree.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but apples is apples, and I don't say no to free fruit. 

I decided to try a canned apple pie filling.  I had done an "apple pie in a jar" before, which turned out to be a dismal failure (completely soupy and terrible for pie) so I didn't have high hopes, but this recipe seems to work a lot better.  I adapted it, so here we go.

Into a pot:

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

10 cups water

This step would have gone a lot faster if I didn't need to stop and play with the cornstarch.

Cornstarch is fun.

Don't worry if the cinnamon is floating on the top in a yucky scum, it will mix in once it thickens.  For now it'll look like really thin chocolate milk with dirt floating in it.  Bring that up to a simmer, stirring occasionally until it thickens.

I peeled, cored and sliced about 45-50 small/medium apples.  Once the syrup is ready, dump as many apples into it as the pot will fit.  Basically, you just want to heat the apples up a bit in the syrup.  They will cook more in the canner, so you don't need much time.  I waited until the syrup bubbled again and called it done.

With clean, sterilized jars (I run mine through the dishwasher with the heated dry setting), use a slotted spoon to fill them with as many apples as possible.  Don't worry about the syrup yet.  Use a fork to gently push them down into the jar.  The less air between them, the more fruit you fit in.

Once they have as many apples as will fit, use a ladle to fill the jars with syrup to 1/4 inch from the rim.  Wipe the edge of the rim (anything left on the rim will mean a bad seal) and close with lids and rings.

Process 20 minutes in boiling water. 

Once you do the first batch of apples in the syrup, you will have syrup left over.  I just kept adding more of the apples until I ran out of jars (luckily that coincided with running out of syrup). 

Be prepared to get sticky...  this one is messy, but after licking it off my fingers, I'm pretty sure this is going to get gobbled up on oatmeal too.  If you DO manage to save it for pie...  a quart will make a 9 inch pie.  Just dot it with pats of butter and bake in a pie shell for 50 minutes at 400º.

I got 14 jars out of this, and since the apples were free, it cost me a grand total of a few bucks.  WHEE!

**Note:  if you get a jar that's only half-full of apples (as I did) fill up the rest of the jar with syrup and process with the others.  I don't think you should put anything half-full into a canner, and not putting it in will mean the apples won't get the benefit of the cooking time.