Apple Pie in a Jar

Thanks to Kelsey of The Napping Chef for the idea of pie in a jar. In a recent post, she reveled in the making of blueberry pie in a jar. Since I live in western North Carolina, and we have a fairly large share of the apple market on the East coast, I altered the recipe to make apple pie in a jar.

The ingredients were simple: peeled, sliced apples; sugar; thickener; spices. The trick was in getting the proportions correct. I tried several thickeners and liked corn starch best, eliminating pectin (awful) and tapioca (just ok). After some tinkering, I settled on the following:

Apple Pie in a Jar

4 cups sugar

1 cup corn starch

1 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

nutmeg and cardamon to taste (personal preference rules here)

10 cups water

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Fill STERILIZED jars with peeled, chopped apples. Fill jars with sugar/spice mixture. You may have to insert a knife into the apples in order to fill the jars with liquid. Clean rims before closing. Process in a hot water bath for 30 minutes. To ascertain that jars are sealed, press down on the lid. If it does NOT pop back up, you're done!

My neighborhood is rife with old, unsprayed apple trees and the neighbors have been very generous to share. My friend has peeled all the apples, making my work much easier. We are going to sell them at the local High School's craft fair as a fundraiser for our children's band trip. I think they will make excellent Christmas gifts!