Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling

On the Menu Today~
Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling

Making your own pie filling is really quite easy..
Trust me, if I can tackle the job of canning pie filling,
so can you! (no pun intended)
I have been canning for about 4 years now and
I have learned two important lessons about canning...

Number One:
Have everything you need lined up and ready to go..
the canning process goes remarkably fast..and
it goes so much more smoothly when everything is ready.

Number Two:
You don't need to make 10 quarts of the same fruit pie filling or
12 pints of the same type of jam/jelly or marmalade.
I find that making 2,3 or 4 quarts of one type of fruit pie filling and
3-6 pint jars of jam/jelly or marmalade, is enough to meet our needs.

Frankly, we just don't need 10 quarts of Apple,
Cherry or Blueberry Pie Filling.
Four quarts of the same type of pie filling works the best for us....
two quarts to keep in our pantry and
two quarts to give away.
(homemade fruit pie fillings and jams/jelly make great gifts)

We also like to have a variety of fruit pie fillings,
jams/jelly and marmalade in our pantry at all times.
This allows you to whip up something sweet anytime..
such as: coffee cake, bars, cookies or pie
Making smaller batches of fruit pie filling and jams/jellies
also allows you to experiment with different ingredients.

Recipe featured in the photo:
Blueberry Almond Dump Cake

Blueberry Pie Filling (makes 1 quart)

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon clear jel
• 1 cup blueberry juice or water
• 3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Cooking Directions

1. Step 1:
2. Select blueberries. Fresh is best, hand picked even better.
3. Step 2:
4. Wash jars and lids. Dishwasher is great for this or wash jars in hot, soapy water, rinse well. Keep jars in hot water until ready to use or keep jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" cycle.
5. Step 3:
6. Wash and sort blueberries. Remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries.
7. Step 4:
8. Blanch blueberries. Place berries, (up to 8 cups at a time) in a large pot with at least 1 gallon of boiling water. Boil each batch for 1 minute after water returns to a boil. Drain and keep hot fruit in a covered bowl.
9. Step 5:
10. Mix 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon clear jel with 3/4 cup sugar in a large pot. Stir in 1 cup water or blueberry juice. Heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add 3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, stirring constantly.
11. Step 6:
12. Fold the warm blueberries into hot liquid. Stir gently.
13. Step 7:
14. Fill jars with blueberry mixture. Remove air bubbles. Fill jars to within 1 inch of tops. Wipe any spilled filling off the rims. Seat lid and tighten the ring.
15. Step 8:
16. Process filled jars in hot water bath. Put the filled jars in the canner and keep the jars covered with at least 1 inch of boiling water. Process for 30 to 35 minutes.
17. Step 9:
18. Remove and cool jars. Lift jars out of water. Let cool without touching or bumping each other for 24 hours. Make sure jars are sealed. Listen for the ping sound while jars are cooling.

*To make 2 quarts, double the ingredients and so on.

For all of your canning needs, information, questions and
recipes, check out this fantastic site: Pick Your Own

Pie, Blueberry, Cake