Freezer Apple Pie Filling

Back several weeks ago, my husband and three kids went to the local apple orchard and picked two huge utility carts full of apples. We have made over 100 quarts of applesauce and several gallon bags of dried apples.  But now the apples are starting to show their age and I wanted to attempt to make my own apple pie filling and freezing it for later pies. 

Over at Home-Steeped Hope, I found this great sounding recipe for bulk apple pie filling.  So, today I decided to try my hand at it. My husband helped peel and core all of the apples so the process wouldn’t take so long. Overall, the recipe is outstanding and I loved the fact that I could store up enough pie filling for five pies all at once.  I think that will help cut down on the mess of pie making. Over at Home-Steeped Home, there are some additional tips posted that the author has found helpful. I didn’t include them since I haven’t made a complete pie yet. Here is the recipe below:

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

•24 cups sliced peeled baking apples (6-7 lbs)
•3 Tablespoons lemon juice
•4 ½ cups sugar (I use half brown sugar, half white)
•1 cup cornstarch
•2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
•1 teaspoon salt
•¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
•10 cups water

In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice; set aside. Don’t skip this step or your apples will turn brown.  In a large Dutch oven (large kettle works) over medium heat, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add water; bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Drain apples and add apples to pot; return to a boil. This may take several minutes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes. Ladle into freezer containers, leaving ½ inch headspace or you can use heavy freezer bags. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 ½ hours. Seal and freeze; store for up to 12 months. Yield: 5 ½ quarts (enough for about five 9-inch pies).

To make the pie:

Place filling inside of 9-inch unbaked pie crust. Dot top of filling with butter.  Top with more pie crust. Bake as usual. Allow to cool prior to serving. Enjoy!