A Monday Recipe: Apple Pie Filling (more apples!)

So, I finally used up all of my apples. Made a ton of applesauce, some of which I've used already!
When my Clear Jel arrived in the mail, it was SHOWTIME!!

I asked some friends about making pie filling and heard some pros and cons of various recipes out there, and using that info, decided to go with this one! There were a couple things wrong with the recipe, like it didn't call for enough apples for a quart jar, plus there was no detailed method for cooking the gel part of the filling. And, I added more nutmeg than she called for.  Mine don't look as great as the recipe author's, but they taste fantastic!

Maybe the next batch will be prettier...practice makes perfect!!

Here's my version of the recipe, which is per quart jar of pie filling

Ingredients
5 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4c sugar
1/4c Clear Jel
1/2t cinnamon

1/4t nutmeg
1/2c water
3/4c unsweetened apple juice
2T bottled lemon juice


Directions
Blanch apple slices in boiling water. Place in bowl, cover, and keep warm.

Combine all dry ingredients (sugar, clear jel, spices) in a separate bowl, whisked well. Add all liquids to the pan, then whisked in the dry, stirring until well blended.

Place over medium-high heat, and stir until mixture begins to bubble and turn translucent. Cook one more minute, stirring constantly.

 Remove from heat and fold in apple slices.

Fill jars with mixture, leaving 1" head space. Close with 2-piece caps, and process in boiling water bath for 25 minutes for pints or quarts. 1 quart will make an average pie.

Yummy! I made 4 quarts and I'm so excited to have these on hand for the holidays!

In the background are 3 half-pints of grape juice that I made from seeded grapes we had gotten thru our co-op. They were delicious grapes but the kids were so put-off by the seeds they would have gone bad. I can use the juice to make popsicles.