There are lots of dangerous pie filling recipes that call for the wrong kind of thickener, so this website might be a good place to start.

Here is a link that might be useful: Canning fruit pie filling

My only comment on the above link, and others like it, is that personally, I would never add 2 1/4 cups of Clear Jel for 7 quarts of pie filling.
If you like paste, OK I guess. I mix my Clear Jel in some fruit juice, and add it to the end of the cooking cycle TO THE THICKNESS I LIKE. I will start with about 1/2 cup mixed with a little fruit juice. I keep the bottle of Clear Jel and fruit juice next to me should I have to make more. Do not add Clear Jel without mixing with fluids unless you like lumps.
If you keep your pie filling the consistency of pancake batter, you can use it also for ice cream, cake, waffles, pancakes, or topping for a pork or salmon dish.
Should you want a thicker mixture for a pie, just add a Tbsp. of tapioca (or any other kind of starch) to further thicken it as you are using it.
It is kind of like Dave is always preaching, allow yourself a product that can be used as you want after opening it. He always says to do your final seasoning or thickening after opening so you do not have a totally narrow use product, or a less than safe product (please forgive me for quoting you Dave), and here I suggest that you do your final thickening (should you need it) after opening and after you decide what you are going to do with the fruit in a jar.
Jim in So Calif

I agree absolutely. We have discussed on many threads the extreme thickness of the approved recipes. I'm not sure what they were thinking, but it's typical to reduce by half at least and sometimes more depending upon the fruit's juiciness and your preference.

ClearJel can always be reduced but not increased.

Carol

Agree with both of the above posts. I also assume Alison that you understand that Clear Jel is the only thickener that is allowed in home canned pie fillings? No flour, no cornstarch, no tapioca, etc. Those things can be added after the jar is opened but not allowed in the canning process.

That said, we find it is best to can all our pie fillings without any thickeners. We don't like Clear Jel, even when it is reduced substantially. We tried cutting it in half and even tried using only a 1/4 the amount called for.

So when we can our fillings without any thickener we can then mix in our favorite at pie baking time.

Do you have the Ball Blue Book? If so check out the recipes in it for pie fillings. Wife and I love Mixed Berry fillings and Mixed Peach and Apricot fillings.

Also check out the basic filling recipes at NCHFP.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: How to can pie fillings

Appreciate the suggestions -- I've checked out the websites and will be trying some of the recipes.

I understand canned filling is not simply regular pie filling in a jar -- that's why I asked specifically for cannable recipes. The websites y'all have posted should give me a good grasp of the basic principles, as well as the specific recipes. Thanks!

My goal is recipes for filling that is good to go, and can be simply be poured into a pie shell and baked. The folks I'm giving these to are *not* cooks, and if I had to include directions on how to thicken the filling before baking, they might just sit on the shelf!

Gee whiz, did I start a war? I only linked to that because I had just read a recipe where some one listed several choices that could be used as thickeners and I was linking to that page so they would understand that ClearJel was the right thing to use. I didn't even look at the recipe, and yes, it does sound like a bit much. LOL

Solo/Baker's pie filling are very good- though those are completely store bought. If your in a hurry though they are great!

-Kelsey

Naw, no war. :) Some of us just have issues with Clear Jel and the way the recipes are written. I'm sure there are folks out there who think the recipes as written are just fine.

My goal is recipes for filling that is good to go, and can be simply be poured into a pie shell and baked. The folks I'm giving these to are *not* cooks, and if I had to include directions on how to thicken the filling before baking, they might just sit on the shelf!

Good point. Then use the Clear Jel as Jim suggested above - premixed - and add just enough to get it to the consistency that you think is perfect for pie filling and can it. That way they will be good to go. Note that the link soonergrandmom provided says you can : "Also adjust the amount of Clear Jel [down] to 1/4 cup for 1 quart and 1 3/4 cup for 7-quarts."

Dave

Does anybody have a good source for Clear Jel? I got citric acid at TSC, but they didn't have CJ. Thanks

Clear Jel

Google pulls up several other sources as well. Plus most all Amish stores and health food stores carry it.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Sources for Clear Jel

Thanks - didn't want to pay more for shipping than for the CJ, I'll have to check health food stores b/c the grocery stores and TSC don't carry it. Though I did find 1 small family-run grocery that had Morton's canning salt, even though Morton's website said there were no stores within 300 miles of here!

Make sure it's the regular (or original) Clear Jel and not the instant.

Lots of blue berries to can up going back and forth making pie filling and just syrup and jam.

I'm looking for a good high-yielding syrup recipe - which one do you use?

I never did order CJ so no pie filling...

I went with Pie filling

4 plus cups of blue berries
4 cups of sugar
1/4 cup of CJ
three glugs of lemon juice concentate
a hint of cinn
some lemon zest
a cup of water that mixed the clear Jell in
a plain cup of water

Heated it up and water bath Canner

Tastes wonderful

Made 3 pints and 11 tiny jars for serving over ice cream, oat meal, pancakes or yogurt this winter.

I guess I'm one of the few who likes clear jel as specified in the recipes. Yes, it IS thick, but after my first time canning pear pie filling, I read on here about reducing the clear jel, so I did that the next time, and like the original way better. I might reduce it a bit, but do make my pie filling with all or most of the clear jel. My pie fillings are ready to dump out of the jar and into the crust. All a matter of taste and preference. I ordered my clear jel in bulk from Barry Farm Foods, as well as ascorbic acid and citric acid.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clear jel, Barry Farm Foods

I did a peach-blueberry pie filling today. Finish up the peaches and rounded out the recipe with blueberries. I used NCHFP recipe as the base and just tweaked the spices, using some ground nutmeg and no extract.