Blueberry Pie Filling

Fresh blueberries 3 1/2 cups 6 quarts Granulated sugar 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. 6 cups Clear-Jel 1/4 cup + I Tbsp. 2 1/4 cups Cold water/fruit juice 1 cup 7 cups Red food coloring (optional) 1 drop 7 drops Blue food coloring (optional) 3 drops 20 drops Bottled lemon juice 3 1/2 tsp. 1/2 cup Select sweet, very ripe but firm, deep blue fruit. If using frozen blueberries, refer to the third paragraph above. Wash and drain blueberries. Combine sugar and Clear-Jel in a large kettle. Stir. Add water or juice, if desired; add food coloring. Cook on medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in berries. Fill pint or quart jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Process immediately (page 4). Water can be replaced by berry or grape juice for a more fruit flavored filling. be used as toppings on desserts. Pie fillings in this fact sheet are thickened with Clear-Jel, a waxy cornstarch that has been chemically modified to produce a good consistency even after canning and baking. Other available household starches (such as flour, cornstarch or tapioca) tend to become runny. Ask your county Extension home economist about the availability of regular (not instant) Clear-Jel in your area. Each canned quart of filling makes one 8-inch or 9-inch pie. Because the variety of fruit may alter the flavor of the pie, do a trial run first. Make a single quart of filling and make a pie. Then adjust the sugar and spices in the recipe to suit your personal preferences. Do not change the amount of lemon juice, it helps control the safety and storage stability of the fillings. When possible, use fresh fruit for making fillings. If frozen fruit is used, select unsweetened fruit. If sugar has been added, estimate the amount of sugar added before freezing and adjust the recipe for sweetness. Collect, measure, and use juice from thawing fruit to replace the water specified in the recipe and reduce Clear-Jel to ~ cup for a quart and 1% cup for 7 quarts. PROCESSING Process fillings in a boiling water canner. Put jars into a canner filled with very hot water. Add water, if needed, to a level of one inch above jars. When water boils vigorously, lower heat to maintain a gentle boil and process for recommended time: Recommended Processing Times for Fruit Pie Fillings in a Boiling Water Canner Fruit Jar Process Time at Altitude of Filling Size 0-1,000 feet 1,001-3,000 feet 3,001-6,000 feet Apple Pints/Quarts 25 min. 30 min. 35 min. Blueberry, Pints/Quarts 30 min. 35 min. 40 min. Blackberry, Cherry or Peach