Blackberry Pie Filling
I have been a little obsessed with blackberries lately. A store in my area has been having great prices on them lately. I picked up this most recent bunch for 99 cents per 6 ounce package. I made sorbet, ate plenty of them fresh and shared with friends.
I had made plenty of blackberry jam, so this time I decided to make pie filling. I found an Extension approved recipe, that I felt confident would work.
It came out great. One option in the recipe is to use juice- blackberry juice specifically. I had thought about it, but just used water in the end.
So here is the recipe.
Blackberry Pie Filling
6 qts. Whole blackberries, about 14-15 lbs.
6 c. sugar
2¼ c. Clear Gel
7 c. cold water or juice
½ c. bottled lemon juice
Prepare canner by filling with water and bringing to a simmer. Wash and prepare jars and lids. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the berries in the water for 30-60 seconds. The berries should be warmed through. You can do this in batches. Remove the berries with a slotted spoon gently and place in a bowl. Cover with a towel and keep warm while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a large pot, combine the sugar, Clear Gel and cold water or juice. Whisk until Clear Gel is completely dissolved. Place over medium high heat and stirring constantly, bring to a simmer and until mixture thickens. Add the lemon juice and continue cooking another re minute. Fold in the berries. Ladle mixture into the jars, leaving an inch of head space. Be sure to get all the bubbles out with a plastic utensil. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids and repeat with the remaining ingredients and jars. Place jars in canner and start timing when water returns to the boil. Process pints or quarts 30 minutes. Makes 7 quarts or 14 pints.
Note: I made a half batch and ended up with 7 pints. Times and directions remain the same.
Source : Washington State Extension Service
