Sunday, July 14, 2013

Super simple cherry pie filling

Yep!  That’s right folks, it’s canning season again.  When that free food starts rolling in I just can’t help myself!  I have to put it away for winter. 

This pie filling is perfect for putting over ice cream, tucking in to tarts, or (of course), making a wonderful pie!  It tastes JUST like the pie filling from the can that I used to beg my mom to buy when I was little.  I used to eat it with a spoon straight from the can.  True story.  So this is actually filling a void in my homemade/homesteading life that I didn’t even realize was there.  I may or may not have eaten about a pint of this stuff as I was putting it away…

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My friend Ryan just bought a house.  His new back yard is covered with neglected fruit trees.  He has apples, pears, plums, grapes, and cherries that are all in stages of neglect.  Many have to be pruned as soon as we are able, but for this summer, we are leaving them to do what they can until they are dormant and we can cut them back. 

Last week Ryan texted with a picture of his leggy little cherry tree just FULL of little tart cherries and asked if I would use them. 

Um… that’s a big, fat, emphatic “YES!” 

Not wasting any time, I picked his whole tree clean and set to work cleaning, pitting and canning them. 

For a full day my hand and wrist were stained with cherry juice and my kitchen smelled heavenly… and now I will have 5 cherry pies to warm our bellies later this year.  (I may even share one with Ryan.)

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Super Simple Cherry Pie Filling

  • 5 cups of pitted tart cherries
  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 2 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 Tbs corn starch

Place pitted cherries in a large pot and add in sugar and lemon juice.  Turn heat on med and allow cherries to get hot and start cooking down and releasing all of that yummy cherry juice.  Stir often.

Mix water and corn starch together in a small bowl and add into the hot cherries.  Bring it to a boil. 

When the mixture starts to get nice and thick, you may can it (according to the Ball Complete Book of Preserving that means “waterbath process for 35 minutes for both pint and quart jars”) or you can place it in a prebaked piecrust and eat the amazing pie you have ever eaten or you can do what we did and eat with a spoon!

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Happy Summer!

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15 comments

Unknown said...

Lovely--I've been looking for a recipe with a reasonable amount of sugar--thank you!

Unknown said...

How many jars does this recipe make?

Trisha said...

I made this recipe a while ago and just wanted to stop by and say Thank you. It turned out great. This recipe is an absolute keeper. Thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

I used dark cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/8 cup chia seeds, the rest of the ingredients I used were the same. It was amazing!

Mindy said...

I just made this recipe and it makes 1 quart jar. :)

Mindy said...

I just made this recipe and it makes 1 quart jar. :)

Unknown said...

2nd year making this it's so good and even easier.

Anonymous said...

What if you only water bath for 10mins instead of 35 mins? I made it before I checked for this recipe

Val in the Rose Garden said...

Did you add it to hot jars and was it boiling? My guess is it will be fine. But I can't decisively say. Best guess, it will be fine but I don't recommend processing for less time.

beingamom said...

Can you tell me how many pies I could make with this recipe???

Anonymous said...

Can you pressure can this ?

Anonymous said...

Can this recipe be doubled for canning? So I can get two quart jars?

Anonymous said...

I just doubled this recipe and ended up with enough for 3 quart sized jars of pie filling. I did increase the sugar from 3/4 c. to 1 c. per batch, and I had 5 heaping cups of cherries per batch. I also added a bit off fruit fresh, some vanilla and almond extracts, and a but of orange zest for depth. A little bit more work than the original recipe, but totally worth the additional cherry pitting for a whole extra pie down the road. They all turned out beautifully.

Anonymous said...

This is a WINNER!!! I just made it and I want to sit down and eat the entire pan. Thank you!!!

Anonymous said...

Please review safe canning instructions. It is not safe to use cornstarch when you waterbath can!

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