Summer Canning Series: Cherry Pie Filling Recipe

By barbsjustagirl

Makes 1 quart pie filling - enough for 1 9" pie

Ingredients

• 4 cups cherries
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Clear Jel or cornstarch*
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from simplebites.net

Preparation

Step 1

Fill your water-bath canner with water and set to boiling. Make sure your jars are sanitized and heated.

Wash and pit the cherries. In a large nonreactive pot filled with boiling water, blanch the cherries for a minute, then drain. Pour the hot cherries into a bowl and cover.

In the same pot, mix together sugar and Clear Jel. Slowly add the water, whisking to help Clear Jel dissolve evenly. Don’t worry too much if it clumps up – it should dissolve as it heats up. Add the spices and heat over medium-high, until sugar and Clear Jel are dissolved and mixture is starting to bubble. Add the lemon juice and boil for about a minute.

Remove from heat and gently stir in cherries and any accumulated juices. Pour filling into prepared jar(s), wipe rim and set lid on top. Screw ring on finger-tight, and using a jar grabber carefully lower the jar into the water bath.

Process for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove and let rest on the counter until completely cooled. Any jars that have not sealed should be refrigerated and used promptly.

* Note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends Clear Jel for pie fillings. Clear Jel is a modified cornstarch that reduces spoilage in canned products and is available online. Many people are comfortable with going outside the USDA guidelines, which is why I included the alternative of regular cornstarch.