Bottled Apple Pie Filling

"The Lord is good to me and so I thank the Lord,
For giving me the things I need, the sun and rain and an apple-seed, oh he's been good to me."

I owe the Lord so much, for everything I see.
I'm certain if it weren't for him, there'd be no apples on this limb, oh he's been good to me."

I wake up everyday as happy as can be,
Because I know that with his care my apple trees will still be there, oh he's been good to me."

As I was posting this one, I just couldn't help but hum this little song of my youth. I remember watching the Disney Johny Appleseed show many a time, and I guess it just sums up how I feel about the lovely little fruit! My parents used to call me the apple girl, and I could always count on a big bag of apples by my stocking for Christmas. :) (This was all before my permanent front teach got knocked out and the whole biting thing got a lot harder... but I still love them cut up. :) All in all, you just can't beat a good old-fashioned apple pie, can you?!

This is one I have been meaning to post for a long time! So what makes this post so special? I've already posted some excellent apple pies and why more? Well- you do this in a big old batch and bottle them up for later- work now, feast later... then feast again... and again. My friend Brittany and I put up about 30 quarts of apple pie filling this Fall. We had a little peeler/corer that really helped speed things up. This pie filling has an excellent flavor- that store bought stuff doesn't even come close! (I think that little bit of lemon juice makes a big difference!) and it makes the EASIEST dessert- all the work is already done. You just open a jar and you can make an apple pie, apple-crisp, apple-brown-betty, apple cobbler and more! You won't regret the extra work for the yumminess later!

Canned Apple Pie Filling (makes about 6 quarts)
6lbs of apples = 24 cups

4 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
10 cups water
3 T lemon juice
24 cups apples (cored, peeled, and sliced)

In a large pan, blend first four ingredients. Add salt. Stir in water. Cook and stir until clear, thick, bubbly, and starting to foam at the top. Add raw apples to syrup and heat through. Add lemon juice. Pack apples in 1 quart jars leaving 1 inch lip space. (Fill with any extra hot syrup left over). Clean of rims, place on lids, and screw rings on tightly. Place jars in canner and fill above the rims with warm/hot water. Process in a canning/water-bath for 20 to 30 minutes from the time water is boiling.) Carefully remove and let rest until fully sealed. (Brittany sometimes flips hers over if they didn't seal and the heat from the inside usually finishes to job.)