Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Blueberry Pie Filling
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Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Blueberry Pie Filling

   

Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Blueberry Pie Filling 1

United States Department of Agriculture, Extension Service2

Quality: Select fresh, ripe, and firm blueberries. Unsweetened frozen blueberries may be used. If sugar has been added, rinse it off while fruit is still frozen.

Yield: 1 quart or 7 quarts

Procedure: Wash and drain fresh blueberries. For fresh fruit, place 6 cups at a time in 1 gallon boiling water. Boil each batch 1 minute after the water returns to a boil. Drain but keep heated fruit in a covered bowl or pot. Combine sugar and Clear Jel® in a large kettle. (For more information on how to purchase Clear Jel®, please visit this page: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/purchasing_using_clearjel.pdf ). Stir. Add water and, if desired, food coloring. Cook on medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in drained berries immediately and fill jars with mixture without delay, leaving 1 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process immediately. See Table 1 for suggested quantities and Table 2 for recommended process time.

Tables

Table 1. Blueberry Pie Filling.


 Quantities of Ingredients Needed For
1 Quart


 7 Quart
Fresh or thawed blueberries


 3-1/2 cups


 6 quarts
Granulated sugar


 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp


 6 cups
Clear Jel®


 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp


 2-1/4 cup
Cold water


 1 cup


 7 cups
Bottled Lemon Juice


 3-1/2 tsp


 1/2 cup
Blue food coloring (optional)


 3 drops


 20 drops
Red food coloring (optional)


 1 drop


 7 drops

Table 2. Recommended process time for Blueberry Pie Filling in a boiling-water canner.

Process Time at Altitudes of
Style

of Pack


 Jar

Size


 0-

1,000 ft


 1,001-

3,000 ft


 3,001-

6,000 ft


 Above

6,000 ft
Hot
Pints

or Quarts


 30 min
35
40
45
*After the process is complete, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait five minutes before removing jars.

Footnotes

1. This document is FCS 8291, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 2003. Revised: July 2005. Reviewed: June 2008. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. It was originally published on CD-ROM as part of HE 8148, Guide 2: Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Fruit and Fruit Products. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

2. Reviewed for use in Florida by Amy Simonne, assistant professor, Food Safety and Quality, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication does not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.


Copyright Information

This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.