Ok So whats the deal with canning apples???

[ChaneyLakegirl]

The other day I read a thread where someone mentioned they had made apple pie filling to can for the first time. When she took it out of the water bath the sauce/pie goo squished out the ring and down the side of the jar. Those who replied assured her that it was no biggy. jars must have been to full etc... As long as their sealed you should be good to go.

That would be me. The second batch had a few leakers even though I increased the headspace. The last batch I increased the headspace to about 1 inch and those did not over flow.

I did applesauce with no problems. I was going to do some in syrup too. I'll have to watch the headspace in those as well, thanks for the heads up.

I'll have to try SSDreamin's recipe, thanks for sharing.

 

[VickiLynn]

If I remember correctly from my canning class, it has to do with taking the jars out of the canner too soon. Something about moving the jars from the boiling hot water to the cooler air causes the contents to erupt.

 

[TanksHill]

Yeah, that makes sense.

I'm going to try again today. After becoming a member of the MeSSy kitchen club I feel a bit obligated to clear my counter.

 

[sufficientforme]

I used the recipe off pickyourown and did not care for how thick it was, I cutback on the Clearjel the next batch and it quit oozing out the jars. We still ate those jars (put them in front) because they sealed just fine, but I was still nervous about them
Please be careful about using up to date approved recipe and ingredients in your canning recipes

 

[Chefmom]

Years ago I also had this happen when I followed the boiling water bath method that my "Putting Food By" book stated. However I now have a new book and she goes over a simmering water bath, just under the boil for some canning. I have used her pickle recipe with great success. I checked the book for apple pie filling and she states to process the quarts or pints for 30 minutes in a 200-degree water bath.

The book is "Blue Ribbon Preserves" by Linda J. Amendt

Tami

 

[RobinsValleyVT]

I just canned apple pie filling a couple weeks ago and did not have any oozing problems, but I read about people who did using the same recipe. It seems that anyone using less than 1" of headspace had some oozing issues. I used 1" on all mine and had no problems with oozing or sealing.

This was my first time canning though, so I plan to try one of the jars in a month or so to make sure it came out ok.

 

[old fashioned]

That's strange, I've not had that happen either and I've never heard of or used 'clearjel'. I usually only can applesauce, but have done pie filling years ago using only apples, sugar & spices.
My first thought would be the jars being too full also. I would be concerned about the jars that have oozed & may interfere with the seal. I've always thought that the rim of the jar and the flat lids rubber must be clean so they can 'seal' together & if anything came between them it wouldn't seal properly, but....

 

[TanksHill]

Thanks to all for the info. I am keeping a close eye on the seals. For the rest of my apples I just chopped and froze them. I will most likely use them for cobblers and crisps. Sp it will be fine.

G

 

[k15n1]

I did a Google search on this problem and found some advice... leave the jars in the canner for at least 5 minutes after processing and with the heat off. Also...

"It is very common for these pie fillings to expand and exude under the seal, even if the mixture is boiling when jarred. This is routine for thick mixtures. It won't do any harm to expand the headspace SLIGHTLY to 1 1/4", but the best way to prevent the problem is to thin the mixture and not use as much ClearJel as the recipe calls for. I think you'll discover it's pretty viscous at the recommended levels."

I don't like the idea of food particles in the seal.

I've done some experimentation with blocking the vent on my pressure cooker to prevent the small changes in pressure caused by the weight jiggling up and down. I just use the 15-psi setting and hold it around 13 psi by adjusting the heat. Anyway, it was a good idea, but didn't prevent apple sauce from oozing out.

I've noticed that a loose ring makes the problem worse in the sense that more sauce leaks out. Too tight of a ring makes the problem more obvious because it oozes when I take the lid off the pressure canner.

My applesauce is fairly thin, so I don't think I am willing to thin it even more.

I've got another 3 bushels of apples to deal with this year, so I'm still looking for answers...