Apple pie filling, canning, question
 

So I have canned my own apple pie filling every year for years. A friend of mine was canning her apple pie filling for the first time and asked me how long to blanch her apples. I have never blanched my apples before canning into filling. What are the benefits to blanching first? Have I been doing it wrong?

[QUOTE=Spike2;596650]So I have canned my own apple pie filling every year for years. A friend of mine was canning her apple pie filling for the first time and asked me how long to blanch her apples. I have never blanched my apples before canning into filling. What are the benefits to blanching first? Have I been doing it wrong?[/QUOTE]
No you haven't and I see no reason to blanch something that is already going to be heated up anyway.
I do recommend fruit fresh I swear by the stuff for a fresh clean look when slicing apples and putting them in a bowl of water.
If they do go brown this will clean them right up.
Learned about using this stuff in the Marines of all places.:lol:

Worth

I've never canned a fruit besides peaches. Have you ever canned pumpkins for pies and muffins? I have the same question re blanching. It would be interesting to see the difference between canned (a real metal can) and fresh.

I am a sucker for those giant pies at the warehouse store but my waistline says no this year. A small homemade single serving version would be ideal.

- Lisa

When foods are blanched or cooked before canning they can become more concentrated, lose their shape a bit and fit more to a jar.

Must involve a pressure cooker. What is your favorite recipe, Spike2 ?

I don't think this is blanching per se. It looks more like heating up briefly (1 min) to get the apples hot, maybe remove some of the air before filling the jars.

[url]http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/can_pie/apple_filling.html[/url]

Lisa,

It is considered safe to pressure can pumpkin in chunks. Same thing here, the chunks are heated up briefly before filling the jars. Sugar pie pumpkins and butternut squash make very delicious pies.

[url]http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/pumpkin_winter_squash.html[/url]

[QUOTE=PhilaGardener;596669]Must involve a pressure cooker. What is your favorite recipe, Spike2 ?[/QUOTE]

For Apple Pie Filling? I will give you my recipe if that is what you are asking for?

You mean you don't have to cook the apples first??? That would save an awful lot of time...... Getting more into the jar is always good though. I find that canning is a lot of work with a water bath.

Linda

I thought the pressure cooker comment was in response to the pumpkin canning comment. :D

[QUOTE=Spike2;596702]For Apple Pie Filling? I will give you my recipe if that is what you are asking for?[/QUOTE]

Yup, sounded good! :yes:

Makes 7 quarts

3 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups clear jel
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
1/4 teaspoons all spice
1/8 teaspoons cloves
2 teaspoons salt
10 cups water
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
6 pounds apples

In a large pan, mix sugar, clear jel, salt and spices. Slowly add water and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly.

Fill hot jars with apples, fill jars with hot syrup leaving 1 inch head space, remove any bubbles, process in water bath for 20 minutes.

The way that I do it is to pick a washing-up bowl full of home-grown organic apples, then wash, core, and cut them into slices. Cook them in two large pans (one of which is a pressure cooker, so probably 5 quarts) adding a tiny amount of water so that they don't burn. No peeling, no sugar, no water, nothing.

When cooked, ladle them into 7 quart-sized mason jars and process in the water bath.

Linda

I wonder what a fermented apple would taste like.
Gonna give it a try. :yes::lol:

Worth

Apple cider Worth! YUMMY!!! Do watch out for wasps though.....

Linda

[QUOTE=Labradors2;596838]Apple cider Worth! YUMMY!!! Do watch out for wasps though.....

Linda[/QUOTE]

This reminds me I have a huge colony of yellow striped wasps mistakenly called yellow jackets living in a ladder I have hung up.
If I put something sweet in the compost pile it is game on with these gals.:lol:

Worth

[QUOTE=greenthumbomaha;596662]I've never canned a fruit besides peaches. Have you ever canned pumpkins for pies and muffins? I have the same question re blanching. It would be interesting to see the difference between canned (a real metal can) and fresh.

I am a sucker for those giant pies at the warehouse store but my waistline says no this year. A small homemade single serving version would be ideal.

- Lisa[/QUOTE]

You can't can pumpkin at home. At home pressure canners can't do the job that the commercial ones do, and since that is the case it isn't recommended as there is a greater chance of build up of harmful bacteria. I thought about doing some myself this year. What I did do was make pumpkin butter and put in jars that are in the fridge. You can also freeze it. All you have to do is google canning pumpkin and they'll give you all the reasons not to try at home.

What about this it is canned pumpkin.
[URL]http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/pumpkin_winter_squash.html[/URL]

Because it is cubed not a puree. The issue comes when it is mashed or pureed. To can the mashed or pureed pumpkin, you would need a commercial canner for safety measures. Has to do with the thickness of the mash/puree. It is best to freeze. Anyway that is what I have always been told so have never tried. Also since I am only going by passed down info, I could be full of dog doots!

Edit to add:

*shakes finger at Worth*

Don't do it! I can hear you thinking from here >,< Yes I said I could be full of dog doots. Hold yourself back . . . :D

[QUOTE=Worth1;596661]Learned about using this stuff in the Marines of all places.:lol:Worth[/QUOTE]

KP no doubt:twisted:

[QUOTE=dustdevil;597058]KP no doubt:twisted:[/QUOTE]
So many days of mandatory mess duty or guard duty every year.
I never washed a dish there in my life I always cooked for some reason even in boot camp.
Even though I love to cook the experience taught me that running a restaurant is hard work with many hours involved on your feet all day.
In boot camp I made fried eggplant everyone thought was some sort of breaded meat patty.:lol:
It started with the head cook asking me if I knew what an eggplant was and I said yes we grow them in our garden.
Can you cook egg plant?
Yes we fry them.
How do you do that and it started from there.
If done correctly they look just like chicken fried steak or schnitzel.:yes:

Worth

[QUOTE=Spike2;597055]Because it is cubed not a puree. The issue comes when it is mashed or pureed. To can the mashed or pureed pumpkin, you would need a commercial canner for safety measures. Has to do with the thickness of the mash/puree. It is best to freeze. Anyway that is what I have always been told so have never tried. Also since I am only going by passed down info, I could be full of dog doots!

Edit to add:

*shakes finger at Worth*

Don't do it! I can hear you thinking from here >,< Yes I said I could be full of dog doots. Hold yourself back . . . :D[/QUOTE]

I can help myself. :lol:
Last year I did a ton of research on the subject and really dont know how to express it.
Other than to say I am surprised the government hasn't mandated training wheels on nail clippers and outlawed sharp points on knives.
But many people are ignorant and some are just plain stupid so we have to protect them.
A co-worker killed himself by way of electrocution because he was just plain stupid.

I went to the source and from what I could find out the all American canner is the same vessel they use for their sterilizer.
All of the bosses are cast into it and everything they just dont use them.
If you go back in time they used to use the same adjustable pressure valve on both the canner and the sterilizer.

The commercial canners work a totally different way and something you cannot duplicate with a home pressure canner.
It has to do more with time and heat with dry steam not wet steam I think.
It has been awhile since I read up on them and cant even think of the name of them or the process.
The other problem is the lazy government egg heads haven't got off their tails to do anything real in years for home canning.
Lets look at the pressures they are no more than 15 PSI in the home canner and for the most part good reason.
The pop off goes someplace beyond this but not even close to 30 PSI.
I have my adjustable one set to go a little beyond 20 PSI at full tension.

Why are these canners set so low.
They are not a true pressure vessel.
The bottoms are flat and that is their weak point.
If you look at any other container that holds pressure the bottoms will be concave or convex in a curve.
Even wine bottles that have any type of pressure in them like moscato.

If you were to totally block off a pressure canner and let it build up pressure the flat bottom would start to bulge out and then it would blow sending it through the roof.

Myself personally would never buy the electric POS digital made in China pressure cookers.


Worth

Spike is right, it has to do with the density of pumpkin puree. NCHFP has tested guidelines for pressure canning pumpkin cubes, as Worth posted.

I just did a fast calculation of the pressure pounds of force spread out on the bottom of a canner or any presser vessel at 14 inches in diameter at 15 PSI.
3024 pounds.
Or the area of 14 inch in diameter is 201.6 X 15psi = 3024.
This sounds unreal I must be wrong but I dont think I am.
I have seen huge house sized tanks launch at 10 psi. :lol:
Canning is fun.:yes:
Worth