Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling

A couple of afternoons in the summer and fall canning saves me countless hours all winter long. I have canned many jams before and every year I also do dozens of jars of applesauce. I have also shared my canned apple butter and pumpkin butter on here before as well. Today I have asked A Latte with Otta A to share her Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling Recipe with us.

Canning is a great time management tool. An example of this is canning Pie filling…. you know those random office carry-ins or church potlucks that spring up on you. Well by canning your pie filling ahead of time all you have to do is pull a jar off the shelf, open it, pour it in a pie crust shell and bake. Let everyone else think you spent the evening before slaving away over this pie when we both know otherwise.{wink}

Today I will be sharing with you a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie filling and I will also show you easy step-by-step instructions on how to can the filling. I love the complimentary flavors of the sweetness of the Strawberry with the tartness of the rhubarb. It will give your taste buds quite a thrill.

Ingredients:

3 cups of diced rhubarb

3 cups of sliced strawberries

1/2 cup of sugar

1 1/2 tbs. of instant tapioca pudding

1/3 cup of orange juice

1 1/2 tbs. orange marmalade

1/4 tsp. grated orange peel

1. Wash your Rhubarb and cut into small pieces that amounts to 3 cups.

2. Next wash and slice 3 cups of strawberries.

how-to-can-strawberry-and-rhubarb-pie-flling

3. In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Instant Tapioca. Add sliced strawberries and rhubarb.

4. Pour in 1/3 cup orange juice and add 1 1/2 Tablespoons of orange marmalade.

5. Add 1/4 teaspoon of grated orange peel, and then stir everything one last time.

(Here is a handy recipe card for you to click on, print off and keep handy for where you want to make this recipe for yourself.) Please note this is for a 2 crust pie!

Now I am ready to can my pie filling in quart size jars, as this size will fill one pie shell. My jars are washed and sterilized in hot soapy water.

I also place my lids and rings in bowls of hot water as well to ensure they are clean and ready to go.

Next, I ladle my pie filling into the jars and use a funnel to help. Try to pack as much filling in as you can and press down to ensure there are no air pockets inside the jars. It’s also important to leave 1/2 inch headspace at the top of the jar.

Then, I wipe off the rim of the jar with a paper towel to ensure there is no debris that would keep my lid from sealing properly.

Lastly, I place the lids on the jar and screw the rings on securely. Now my jars are ready to go into my canner. (If you don’t have a canner for the hot water method of canning you can use a really large stock pot, just make sure the water completely covers the jar.) I want to slowly bring up the water to boiling in my canner so the jars do not break or crack.

Once the water is boiling I put the lid of my canner on (this just helps keep the water from splashing out). I then reduce the heat on the stove just a little because I want it to maintain that heat level and not keep increasing, I then set my timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes I turn off the heat and wait until the water stops boiling and then take the lid off. Place them on a towel in your kitchen and let the jars rest there for 12-24 hours. During the first couple of hours, you will hear a pinging sound from the jars. This lets us know the jars are sealed. (You can also check the jars by seeing if you can push down on the lid. If the lid allows you to make a dent in the middle then it did not seal. Lastly, I always label and date my jars so you know for certain what it is and when it was canned. Canned items are good for one full year after the canning date.

Don’t those jars look gorgeous?!?! Besides using these jars yourself they would make great hostess gifts or you could buy a fancy pie plate and give it along with one of these jars as a shower gift to a new bride or as a Christmas Gift.