Recipe Archives->Preserving->Blue Pie Filling

Blueberry Pie Filling

Quantities Needed for         1 Quart                 7 Quarts

Fresh blueberries             3 1/2 cups              6 quarts
Granulated sugar              3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp.       6 cups
Clear-Jel                     1/4 cup + I Tbsp.       2 1/4 cups
Cold water/fruit juice        1 cup                   7 cups
Red food coloring (optional)  1 drop                  7 drops
Blue food coloring (optional) 3 drops                 20 drops
Bottled lemon juice           3 1/2 tsp.              1/2 cup

Select sweet, very ripe but firm, deep blue fruit. If using frozen
blueberries, refer to the third paragraph above.

Wash and drain blueberries. Combine sugar and Clear-Jel in a large
kettle. Stir. Add water or juice, if desired; add food coloring.
Cook on medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to
bubble. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Fold in berries. Fill pint or quart jars, leaving 1 inch headspace.
Process immediately (page 4).

Water can be replaced by berry or grape juice for a more fruit
flavored filling.  be used as toppings on desserts. Pie fillings
in this fact sheet are thickened with Clear-Jel, a waxy cornstarch
that has been chemically modified to produce a good consistency
even after canning and baking. Other available household starches
(such as flour, cornstarch or tapioca) tend to become runny. Ask
your county Extension home economist about the availability of
regular (not instant) Clear-Jel in your area.

Each canned quart of filling makes one 8-inch or 9-inch pie. Because
the variety of fruit may alter the flavor of the pie, do a trial
run first. Make a single quart of filling and make a pie. Then
adjust the sugar and spices in the recipe to suit your personal
preferences. Do not change the amount of lemon juice, it helps
control the safety and storage stability of the fillings.

When possible, use fresh fruit for making fillings. If frozen fruit
is used, select unsweetened fruit. If sugar has been added, estimate
the amount of sugar added before freezing and adjust the recipe
for sweetness. Collect, measure, and use juice from thawing fruit
to replace the water specified in the recipe and reduce Clear-Jel
to ~ cup for a quart and 1% cup for 7 quarts.  PROCESSING

Process fillings in a boiling water canner. Put jars into a canner
filled with very hot water. Add water, if needed, to a level of
one inch above jars. When water boils vigorously, lower heat to
maintain a gentle boil and process for recommended time:

Recommended Processing Times for Fruit Pie Fillings in a Boiling
Water Canner

Fruit      Jar          Process Time at Altitude of
Filling    Size         0-1,000 feet   1,001-3,000 feet  3,001-6,000 feet

Apple      Pints/Quarts    25 min.        30 min.           35 min.

Blueberry, Pints/Quarts    30 min.        35 min.           40 min.
Blackberry,
Cherry or
Peach

Printable version: blue-pie-filling.txt.