Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Wash 7 quart or 14 pint canning jars in hot soapy water or the dishwasher, keep them hot, and simmer new lids in hot water per manufacturer instructions.
2. 2Wash and pit the cherries (a cherry pitter makes this much faster), reserving any juice released during pitting, and set the drained cherries aside.
3. 3In a very large pot, whisk together the sugar and Clear Jel until no lumps remain, then whisk in the 2 1/2 cups cold water (or reserved cherry juice plus water) and bottled lemon juice until smooth.
4. 4You must use Clear Jel rather than regular cornstarch or flour for this filling, because ordinary starches break down and lose their thickening power under the sustained high heat of water-bath processing, which can prevent the center of the jar from safely reaching a high enough temperature; Clear Jel is a modified starch made to hold up through that processing heat.
5. 5Cook the sugar-Clear Jel mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil and turns thick, glossy, and translucent, then stir in the almond extract and food coloring if using, fold in the drained cherries, and return to a gentle boil for 1 minute, stirring to distribute the fruit evenly.
6. 6Ladle the hot filling into hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace to allow proper heat penetration during processing.
7. 7Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula, add more filling if needed to keep 1 inch headspace, wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and screw the bands fingertip-tight.
8. 8Process in a boiling-water canner with jars covered by at least 1 to 2 inches of water, timing from a full rolling boil, for 30 minutes for both pints and quarts, adding 5 minutes at 1,001–3,000 feet, 10 minutes at 3,001–6,000 feet, 15 minutes at 6,001–8,000 feet, or 20 minutes above 8,000 feet.
9. 9Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars to a towel-lined counter and cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours, expecting the filling to firm up further as it cools.
10. 10Check seals by pressing the lid centers, remove bands, wipe jars, and label with contents and date; store in a cool, dark place up to 1 year and refrigerate after opening, using within about 1 week.
11. 11Never substitute regular cornstarch or flour for the Clear Jel and do not change the sugar or lemon juice amounts, since this exact tested ratio ensures both safe processing and a properly set filling.