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How to Make Strawberry Pie Filling - Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs

How to Make Strawberry Pie Filling - Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients

You can make and can your own strawberry pie filling! Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. The strawberry pie filling will taste MUCH better than that over-sugared tasteless glop in the can from the grocery store, and by using fresh strawberries, the flavor will be much stronger!

Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention.

Now here's how you can, too!

Directions for Making Strawberry Pie Filling

Ingredients and Equipment to make 1 quart of strawberry pie filling
(just double to make 2 quarts, etc.)

  • Strawberries (see step 1)
    3.5 cups (3 and 1/2 cups) of fresh strawberries
  • Sugar - 3/4 cup (0.75 cup)
  • ClearJelⓇ starch (dry) - 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon - here's where to get it: )
    See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon
  • Cold water and/or strawberry juice: 1 cup
  • Lemon juice - 3 and 1/2 (3.5) teaspoons  (fresh or bottled)
  • Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
  • Lid lifter (I like the lid rack that holds 12 lids or you can pull them out one at a time with the lid-lifter that has a magnet from the almost-boiling water where you sanitize them. ($4 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
  • Jar funnel ($4 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
  • At least 1 large pot
  • Large spoons and ladles,
  • Canning jars (often called Ball jars, Mason jars or Kerr jars) (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some "big box" stores carry them - now about $12 per dozen quart jars (up 50% in 2 years!) including the lids and rings)
  • 1 water bath canner (a huge pot with a lifting rack to sanitize the jars of strawberry pie filling after filling (about $30 to $35 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates) You CAN use a large pot instead, but the canners are deeper, and have a rack top make lifting the jars out easier. If you plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment.

Recipe and Directions

Step 1 - Selecting the strawberries

You can use fresh or even frozen strawberries, but obviously you will get the best price and freshest taste if you go pick your own. Typically, strawberries are in season in the US and Europe in June and July - check the harvest calendar for your state!

Canning jars in the dishwasherStep 2 - Wash the jars and lids

Now's a good time to get the jars ready, so you won't be rushed later. The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle, the water bath processing will sanitize them as well as the contents! If you don't have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sanitize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used. Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot strawberry pie filling.

Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water (that's what the manufacturer's recommend) for 10 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out.

Step 3 - Wash, hull the berries and sort!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in a colander of plain cold water.

Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. Hull the berries (remove the green leaves attached to the top).

Then just drain off the water through a colander! A number of people have written to ask where to get the conical metal colanders that our grandmothers used - here's where:

 See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on AmazonSlice, hulled strawberries

Step 4 - Blanch the Strawberries

It's pretty simple:  place the  strawberries (up to 7 cups at a time) in a large pot with at ;east 1 gallon of boiling water. Boil each batch 1 minute after the water returns to a boil. You're not really "cooking" the strawberries - just blanching them.  Blanching means heating the at high temperature for a brief time to stop the enzymes that can cause the flavor to degrade during storage.

Drain and keep the hot cooked fruit in a covered bowl or pot.

Photo is coming!!!

Step 5 - Make the liquid for the filling

Mix 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of ClearJel starch with the 3/4 cup of sugar in a large pot. Add the 1 cup of water (or strawberry juice, if you can find natural strawberry juice) and heat on the stove until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. 

Then add the 3 and 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice, stirring constantly.

Note: I use strawberry juice to add the flavor and natural sweetness, but you can just use cold water, as the strawberry juice can be expensive and hard to find.

Why use ClearJel?

ClearJelⓇ is a corn starch that has been modified to give it special and unique characteristics when used in food products. It is recommended by the USDA for making pie fillings because it does not break down in the acid food mixtures and does not thicken enough during heat processing to interfere with the intended effect of the heat on killing bacteria during canning. In other words it reduces spoilage and is safer than corn starch. It is preferred for thickening canned pie fillings as well as other  foods over other corn starches because it has less or no aftertaste, the thickened juices are smooth and clear, and foods thickened with ClearJelⓇ may be frozen.

 See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon

Step 6 - Combine the liquid with the berries

Fold the berries into the hot liquid. Stir gently.

Step 7 - Fill the jars with the strawberry mixtureFilling the jars with jam

Pretty self explanatory.  A Jar funnel helps.  Gently jostle the jar to help it settle in the jar and reduce the amount of air space. Fill the jars to within 1 inch of the top, wipe any spilled strawberry pie filling of the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them.

Step 8 - Process the filled jars in the water bath

Put the filled jars in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. if you are at sea level (up to 1,000 ft) boil pint and/or quart jars for 30 minutes.

 

If you are at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, see this chart.

 

USDA-Recommended process time for Hot Pack Pint or Quart Jars of Strawberry Pie Filling in a boiling-water canner.

Process Time at Altitudes of
0 - 1,000 ft 1,001 - 3,000 ft 3,001 - 6,000 ft Above 6,000 ft
30 min 35 40 45
 

Step 9 - Remove and cool the jars - Done

Jam jars, doneLift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight)  You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.

 

 

 

 

 


Other Equipment:

From left to right:Canning tools

  1. Jar lifting tongs to pick up hot jars
  2. Lid lifter - to remove lids from the pot of boiling water (sterilizing )
  3. Lids- disposable - you may only use them once
  4. Ring - holds the lids on the jar until after the jars cool - then you remove them, save them and reuse them
  5. Canning Jar funnel - to fill the jars

 

 

 

 

 

Ball home canning kit water bath canner
Granite Ware 21 QT, 9 Piece Enamelware Water bath Canning Pot with Canning kit, Colander and Rack

VKP Brands Water Bath AND Steam Canner, 20 Quart Stainless Steel, flat-bottomed Induction range compatible and safe for smooth top ranges. Pressure Canners for all stovetops



Home Canning Kits

See the seller's website for more information, features, pricing and user reviews!

This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from strawberry pie filling to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce. This complete kit includes everything you need: the canner, jar rack, Jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. You will never need anything else except more jars and lids!

See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon

Norpro 1951 Manual Food Strainer, with optional motor; (almost identical to Victorio V250, Villaware and Roma models, all discontinued)

See the seller's website for more information, features, pricing and user reviews!

 
See here for related tools, equipment, supplies on Amazon

Deluxe Food Strainer and Sauce Maker

See this page for more information, reviews, descriptions of other strainers and supplies or to order!

 

 

     

Lids, Rings, Jars, mixes, pectin, etc.

Need lids, rings and replacement jars?  Or pectin to make jam, spaghetti sauce or salsa mix or pickle mixes?  Get them all here, and usually at lower prices than your local store!

Get them all here at the best prices on the internet!