Canning Apple Pie Filling

Canning to some is something only "supermoms" do.. Well let me set the record straight, I ain't no supermom! Just a mom who loves to be in the kitchen. I love to feed my family of seven (5 kids) good food. With larger than average children and hubby, I have to fix insane amounts of food. So even though canning can be time consuming on the front end, it actually saves a lot of time on the back end.

Some of the canned apples right out of their hot water bath..

Here is Mr. Ben cranking out more apples on my apple peeler corer slicer, that I have had since we got married.

16 years..

Miss Katherine is busy stuffing the jars with the Granny Smith apples..

Our favorite apple to can with.

This is what 16 quarts looks like in one big pot of cold water and lots of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown..

Here is your recipe for apple pie filling.

I double, triple, quadruple according to how much I had.

I had a half bushel of Granny Smith apples straight from an organic farm in Elijay, Georgia..

4 1/2 cups white sugar
1 Cup cornstarch
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons salt10 cups water
3 T. lemon juice
6 pounds applesIn a large pan, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add salt and water and mix well.
Bring to a boil and cook until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
Sterilize canning jars, lids and rings by boiling them in a large pot of water (you can follow the jar directions for sterilization if you want further details)
Peel, core, and slice apples (this is where my handy dandy pampered chef 16 year old peeler, corer, slicer came in).
Pack the sliced apples into hot canning jars, leaving a 1/2-3/4 inch headspace. (9 year old daughters are quite good at this task)
Fill jars with hot syrup and gently remove air bubbles with a spatula.

this is mommy's job
Put lids on and process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes.

14 year old big brother managed this on his own, with a lot of teeth pulling to get him to do it..