Canning Strawberry Pie Filling for the First Time

Strawberry Pie Filling

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I own 4 different canning books and NONE of them have a recipe for strawberry pie filling. And I know maybe it’s not the most popular kind. I am guessing apple and cherry take the lead on that. But what about the ones who hate cherries? We use strawberry pie filling, at least I do! And yeah, okay I really only use strawberry pie filling for one thing- fruit pizza! But still, I want homemade!

Ball Canning is the Law

Here’s the other piece to this puzzle. When it comes to canning I like using my books made by Ball Canning. Canning is a SCIENCE and I take it very seriously. So to me, the Ball Canning books are the law. But, for this recipe, I had to resort to Pinterest. I found the most clear and concise recipe from Creative Canning. They had listed a recipe for 1 quart jar (3 1/2 cups of strawberries) and 7 quarts (6 quarts of strawberries.)

How I Tailored the Strawberry Pie Filling Recipe

I had 8 cups (2 quarts) of fresh strawberries left over from picking at the local strawberry farm. I made strawberry crisp + strawberry lemonade. Really, I didn’t need any more strawberry jam or strawberry rhubarb jam. I still have plenty! I divided Creative Canning’s full 7-quart recipe by 3 to get the right measurements.

Trusting the Strawberry Pie Filling Process

This was my first time using Clear Jel. I had read another recipe that said you could use cornstarch. But with more research and Creative Canning’s recipe you can’t use regular cornstarch. Regular cornstarch cannot handle the high temperatures of canning. The cut strawberries have to be blanched for 30-60 seconds. Keep them warm while preparing the rest of the recipe. You have to add the sugar and Clear Jel to the pan, mix it up, and then add your cold water or juice. I saved the water from blanching the strawberries and just filtered it a few times. Then stuck this in the freezer to quickly cool it down.

I was constantly mixing the water, sugar, and clear gel once I had it oven the stove, and the burner on. I was so nervous because it started getting these little clumps when it started bubbling. But once I added the lemon juice and the strawberries it worked itself out! The strawberries were added after the pan was removed from the heat. The rest of the canning process for water bathing is the same from here on out. I chose to use pint jars instead of quart jars since normally I only use about 16 ounces at a time.

Water Bathing the Strawbery Pie Filling

Fill the hot mixture in hot jars. (I have the jars boiling in the canner on the stove.)
Use a funnel to help keep the contents in the jars.
Fill to the right head space- this recipe calls for 1/4 inch headspace.
This canning kit has everything you need
Let out any air bubbles in the jars.
Wipe the rims of the jars off to ensure proper sealing of the lids.
Place the lids and the rings on the jars. Make sure the rings are finger-tight.
Place the lidded jars back into the canner of boiling water with the canner lid on (Use the jar tongs from the kit in the link above.)
For this recipe- both pint and quart jars process for 30 minutes.
Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
Remove jars from the canner. (Use the jar tongs included in the kit linked above.) Let sit undisturbed for 24 hours. You’ll hear a popping noise if the jars are sealed properly. After 24 hours, double check the lids are sealed. You can store the jars without the rings.