B
!4-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 5, 2003
Fruit Pie Fillings
The Well Preserved news
column is prepared by Lan
caster County Cooperative
Extension. It includes food
preservation information and
questions.
In addition to using in pies,
canned pie fillings make a fast,
easy topping for cheesecake,
serve as fillings for cakes and
Danishes, and add color and
flavor over an angel food cake
with ice cream.
Reproducing these tasty fruit
fillings has been a challenge for
the home canner because add
ing starch in the form of flour,
cornstarch, or tapioca to a
canned product creates both
safety and textural problems.
The common household
starches break down during the
canning process causing a
runny consistency. Commerci
ally prepared pie fillings use a
modified food starch to over
come these problems.
The home food preserver can
make fruit fillings with excel
lent and safe results using Clear
Jel, which is a modified food
starch that withstands the can
ning process. Unlike ordinary
cornstarch, Clear Jel works well
with acidic ingredients, toler
ates high temperatures, and
doesn’t cause pie fillings to
“weep” during storage. It is a
good choice for canning home
made pie fillings because it
doesn’t begin thickening until
the liquid begins to cool. This
allows heat to be distributed
more evenly within the jar dur-
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ing processing. This is an im
portant safety advantage be
cause the starch is not thick
enough to interfere with the
killing of spoilage organisms
during processing.
It is the only thickener the
USDA recommends for home
canning. However, don’t freeze
products made with Clear Jel as
they tend to break down when
frozen. It is available only
through a few supply outlets
and is not available in most gro
cery stores.
In Lancaster County Clear
Jel can be found in many stores
where bulk foods are sold. Find
out about its availability before
gathering other ingredients to
make fruit pie filling. Make sure
you are getting the type of Clear
Jel that requires cooking-some
times called Clear Jel type A.
The instant type of Clear Jel
will not work in recipes requir
ing cooking and is only suitable
for frozen pies. There are about
3 cups in 1 pound of Clear Jel.
Recipes have been tested for
canning apple, blueberry, cher
ry, and peach pie fillings. Eelow
is one of the tested recipes. You
can obtain the others by calling
the cooperative extension office
and asking for the flyer “Let’s
Preserve Fruit Pie Fillings.”
Because the variety of fruit
may alter the flavor of the fruit
pie, you should first prepare a
single quart, make a pie with it,
and taste it. Then adjust the
sugar and spices in the recipe to
suit your personal preferences.
The amount of lemon juice to
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fruit and liquid should not be
altered because it affects the
safety and storage stability of
the filling. Do not substitute any
other thickener for the Clear
Jel.
For one quart to test recipe
use:
A cup plus 1 tablespoon
Clear Jel
1 cup cold water
3 drops blue food coloring
(optional)
1 drop red food coloring (op
tional)
3'/2 teaspoons bottled lemon
juice
Ingredients needed for 7
quart jars:
6 quarts fresh blueberries
6 cups sugar
2'A cups Clear Jel
7 cups cold water
20 drops blue food coloring
(optional)
7 drops red food coloring (op
tional)
Wash and drain blueberries.
For fresh fruit, place 6 cups of
blueberries at a time in 1 gallon
boiling water. Boil each batch 1
minute after the water returns
to a boil. Drain but keep the
heated fruit in a covered bowl.
Combine sugar and Clear Jel in
a large kettle. Stir. Add water
and, if desired, food coloring.
Cook on medium-high heat
until mixture thickens and be
gins to bubble. Add lemon juice
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Blueberry Pie Filling
3V5 cups fresh blueberries
V* cup plus 2 tablespoons
sugar
Vi cup bottled lemon juice
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and boil one minute, stirring
constantly. .
Fold in drained berries, im
mediately fill jars with mixture,
leaving 1-inch headspace. Re
move air bubbles. Wipe jar
rims. Adjust lids and process
pint or quarts jars immediately
in a boiling water bath for 30
minutes.
Note: Frozen blueberries can
be used in the above recipe. Fol
low the same basic recipe, but
make these changes. Select un
sweetened frozen berries if pos
sible. If sweetened fruit is used,
rinse the fruit while it is still fro
zen. As the fruit thaws, collect
any juice and use it for part of
the water specified in the recipe.
Use 'A cup Clear Jel for one
quart, and use VA cups Clear
Jel for seven quarts.
Where trade names appear,
no discrimination is intended,
and no endorsement by Penn
State Cooperative Extension is
implied. If you have food pres
ervation questions, a home
economist is available to answer
questions on Wednesdays 10
a.m.-l p.m., call (717) 394-6851
or write Penn State Cooperative
Extension, Lancaster County,
1383 Arcadia Rd., Rm.l, Lan
caster, PA, 17601.
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Lebanon Area
Announces
Queen Contest
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Entries are being accepted for the
2003 Lebanon Area Fair Queen
Contest.
The contest is open to residents
of Lebanon County who are at
least 16 years of age and not over
20 years of age by June 1. Con
testants must be single, never
married, have no children, and
must not marry during the reign.
Former winners may not compete
again, and all contestants must
have a parent or guardian’s con
sent to compete.
The competition consists of a
300 word written essay on “What
My Fair Means To Me,” as well as
a 3-5 minute speech titled “Why
You Should Come To My Fair.”
Entrants will be judged on poise,
essay, speech, and interview.
The winner must be available
to represent the fair whenever
needed during the entire week of
the fair and in parades, promo
tions, etc. throughout the year.
The 2003 Lebanon Area Fair
runs from July 26 to August 2 at
the Lebanon Area Fairgrounds.
Gifts will be given to all who
enter and the winner receives an
assortment of prizes provided by
local businesses. The Lebanon
Area Fair Queen will be eligible to
enter the Pennsylvania State Fair
Queen Contest whe r e the winner
receives a $l,OOO scholarship.
Entry deadline is July 11. For
more information please contact
the Fair Office at (717) 273-3795.
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