Canning Blueberry Pie Filling

Canned Blueberry Pie filling is so versatile and can be used in many different recipes. Perfect in a dump cake, cobbler or even substitute it in cinnamon rolls!

Its May here in Tennessee which means its time to go pick some blueberries. Unfortunately most of my blueberries bushes died and didn’t overwinter well so we needed to go to a local patch to pick our berries for canning. I decided to freeze most to use throughout the year but make one batch of blueberry pie filling.

Lets take a minute to appreciate my 2 year old sons perfect curly locks. I don’t know how he was blessed with such amazing hair but I haven’t been able to cut it off yet because its so beautiful and part of his little personality at this point. I am sure most moms understand the tough decision on when to give their first hair cut. Anyways, Moving on…

I love all water bath canning recipes because they don’t take as much time as pressure canning. Its more instant gratification and makes me feel more productive. I feel like pressure canning can take all day and you need to have other kitchen projects to do while watching the canner. So this was easy to throw in the canner and get canned up in less than a couple hours.

If you have been a canner for any amount of time you know the debate between canning by the FDA’s recommendation or being a rebel canner. I wouldn’t classify myself as a rebel canner but I do use common sense and know that if multiple generations before me have canned using a certain method for years and its worked for them than that to me is a safe recipe to use. Same goes for this blueberry pie filling. I use arrowroot powder instead of clear-jell and raw blueberries instead of cooked and it is safe in my opinion. You of course can make a decision for your family based on what you think is safe.

How to Use:

• Blueberry Pie
• Cobbler
• Crisp
• Blueberry Rolls ( Just replace the cinnamon sugar mixture for the pie filling)
• Dump Cake ( My FAVORITE- Just substitute fresh or frozen blueberries in our recipe for 1 can of pie filling. AMAZING.

Tools You May Need

• Water Bath Canner (This is the one I use)
• Measuring Cups
• Funnel
• Lids and Rims
• Mason Jars
• Jar Lifter
• De-bubbler
• Colander

Ingredients

• Blueberries
• Sugar
• Water
• Lemon Juice
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• Arrowroot Powder

Step By Step

1. Prep your canning supplies and get them ready beforehand. ( Jars, Lids, Rims, Funnel, De-bubbler, rag, canner etc )
2. Wash blueberries and remove any stems. Fill up mason jars with blueberries leaving 1 1/2 inch headspace. This gives enough room for the pie goop to fit in the jar.
3. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine water, sugar, arrowroot powder, salt, lemon juice and vanilla. Bring to a boil stirring constantly.
4. Once mixture coats your spoon and is a thick consistency remove from heat. Pour goop over blueberries using a ladle and funnel. It will take a few times before the thick mixture covers all the berries.
5. Then using a knife or chopstick de-bubble the pie filling so you don’t have any large air pockets. Pie filling has a tendency to siphon so make sure to leave at least 1 inch headspace. I tend to leave a little more space to ensure a good seal.
6. Add to water bath canner making sure the water temperature matches the temperature of the jars. Cover and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes. Once time is up, turn off the heat and let sit in canner for 5 minutes before removing.
7. Let the jars sit for 12-24 hours undisturbed before checking the seals and putting them in the pantry.

Notes

1. You can add any spices you want to your pie filling. Lots of people like to use spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice etc. I prefer just a pure blueberry taste with a hint of vanilla.

2. Most recipes will call for Clear-jell and that is the FDA approved method. I do not like using it and prefer using arrowroot powder. It has always worked great but you can choose if you feel comfortable with using it.

3. Like always do your own research and make your own decision based on what you are comfortable with. The FDA also wants you to cook your berries for 1 minutes before canning and I don’t think that is necessary. I use raw blueberries when I am packing the jars.

4. If making quarts you also process them for 30 minutes. Use 9 cups water, 1 1/2 cups arrowroot, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla. This should make 7 quarts.

Yield: 7 pints

Canning Blueberry Pie Filling

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Canned Blueberry Pie filling is so versatile and can be used in many different recipes. Perfect in a dump cake, cobbler or even substitute it in cinnamon rolls!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 14 cups blueberries- roughly
• 5 cups water
• 2 1/4 c sugar
• 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional Cinnamon or Nutmeg

Instructions

1. Prep your canning supplies and get them ready beforehand. ( Jars, Lids, Rims, Funnel, De-bubbler, rag, canner etc )
2. Wash blueberries and remove any stems.
3. Fill up mason jars with blueberries leaving 1 1/2 inch headspace. This gives enough room for the pie goop to fit in the jar.
4. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven combine water, sugar, arrowroot powder, salt, lemon juice and vanilla. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Once mixture coats your spoon and is a thick consistency remove from heat.
5. Pour goop over blueberries using a ladle and funnel. It will take a few times before the thick mixture covers all the berries. Then using a knife or chopstick de-bubble the pie filling so you don't have any large air pockets.
6. Pie filling has a tendency to siphon so make sure to leave at least 1 inch headspace. I tend to leave a little more space to ensure a good seal.
7. Add to water bath canner making sure the water temperature matches the temperature of the jars. Cover and turn heat to high. Bring to a boil and process for 30 minutes. Once time is up, turn off the heat and let sit in canner for 5 minutes before removing.
8. Let the jars sit for 12-24 hours undisturbed before checking the seals and putting them in the pantry.

Notes

1. You can add any spices you want to your pie filling. Lots of people like to use spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice etc. I prefer just a pure blueberry taste with a hint of vanilla.

2. Most recipes will call for Clear-jell and that is the FDA approved method. I do not like using it and prefer using arrowroot powder. It has always worked great but you can choose if you feel comfortable with using it.

3. Like always do your own research and make your own decision based on what you are comfortable with. The FDA also wants you to cook your berries for 1 minutes before canning and I don't think that is necessary. I use raw blueberries when I am packing the jars.

4. If making quarts you also process them for 30 minutes. Use 9 cups water, 1 1/2 cups arrowroot, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla. This should make 7 quarts.