If this is your first time canning or it has been awhile, it is recommended that you read Using Boiling Water Canners and General Canning Information before beginning.
2. Ingredients
- 19 pounds of apples (makes 7 quarts)
- 12 1/4 pounds of apples (makes 9 pints)
- For anti-darkening solution, any of the following:
- Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)- 1 teaspoon crystalline or 3,000 mg Vitamin C tablets- dissolve in 1 gallon of water
- Commercial anti-darkening product- a mixture of citric and ascorbic acid- follow manufacturer's directions
- 3/4 cup bottled lemon juice- mix in 1 gallon water
- Sugar (optional) see table below for preparing and using syrup or adding directly to prepared fruit
| Measure of Water and Sugar for Syrup |
| Syrup Type |
For 9 Pints (or 4 Quarts) |
For 7 Quarts |
| |
Cups Water |
Cups Sugar |
Cups Water |
Cups Sugar |
| Very Light |
6-1/2 |
3/4 |
10-1/2 |
1-1/4 |
| Light |
5-3/4 |
1-1/2 |
9 |
2-1/4 |
| Medium |
5-1/4 |
2-1/4 |
8-1/4 |
3-3/4 |
| Heavy |
5 |
3-1/4 |
7-3/4 |
5-1/4 |
If using syrup for canned apple slices, a very light, light or medium syrup is recommended.
3. Equipment
- Boiling water canner: Large covered pot (with a tight-fitting cover and a rack) that is deep enough to cover the rack and canning jars by 1 to 2 inches of boiling water. (At least 10 inches deep for pint jars, and 12 inches deep for quart jars.)
- Canning jars: Use standard canning jars without cracks or chips (see recipe for sizes)
- Lids and bands: Bands can be reused if they are in good shape, but lids must be new to ensure a proper seal
- Long-handled spoon
- Bowl (for anti-darkening solution)
- Colander (for draining fruit)
- Wide-mouth funnel
- Jar lifter (for moving jars into/out of canner)
- Lid wand (magnetic tool used to transfer lids to jars)
- Bubble freer, or a plastic or rubber knife-like utensil (for removing air from food)
- Ruler for measuring headspace (some bubble removers include this feature)
- Large covered pot (for hot pack syrup)
- Medium pot for extra boiling water
- Towels or wire rack for cooling jars
- Paper towels
- Hot pads
- Cutting board
- Knives
- Food thermometer for measuring temperature of processing water
- Timer or clock
4. Prepare Canning Equipment
Boiling Water Canner-
- Assemble and wash equipment and containers.
- Wash canning jars in soapy water, rinse, and keep hot. (This can be done in a dishwasher or by placing jars in the water that is heating in your canner.)
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions for preparing lids.
- Place rack in the bottom of a boiling water canner. Fill the canner approximately half full with clean warm water for a canner load of pint jars. For other sizes and numbers of jars, you will need to adjust the amount of water so it will be 1 to 2 inches over the top of the filled jars.
- Center the canner over the burner and preheat the water to 180 degrees F for hot-packed foods.
- In medium pot, boil some extra water to use later, as needed, to cover the jars.
- Begin preparing food for your jars while this water is preheating.
5. Prepare Ingredients
Hot Pack-with syrup
- Prepare syrup if desired-apple slices can also be canned in water.
- Wash, peel, core, and slice apples.
- To prevent discoloration, dip sliced apples into anti-darkening solution. (see Ingredients above for making solution). Drain.
- Place drained slices in a large pot and add boiling water or syrup. (Approximately 1 pint syrup or water per 5 pounds apples-refer to table above in Ingredients section.)
- Bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
6. Pack Jars
- Fill jars with hot apple slices and syrup or boiling water, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles.
- Add more liquid, if needed, for 1/2-inch headspace.
- Wipe rim with clean, wet paper towel.
- Place lid on jar and add screw band. Screw the band down fingertip tight- not too loose nor too tight. Follow lid manufacturer's directions for tightening the jar lids properly.
7. Process Jars
Boiling Water Canner-
- With jar lifter, place jars on canning rack in large pot, which is filled with hot water. Jars should not touch each other.
- Add or remove boiling water as needed until jars are covered by 1" - 2".
- Turn heat to high and bring to a vigorous boil. Set timer for correct processing time. Refer to the tables below for processing time for your elevation and jar size.
- Cover canner with lid and lower heat setting to maintain a gentle boil throughout processing time.
- When processing time is up, turn off heat and remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars to allow contents to settle.
- Using a jar lifter, remove jars one at a time. Do not tilt jars. Place on a cooling rack or towel, leaving at least 1" space between jars. Avoid placing jars on a cold surface or near a cold draft.
- Allow the jars to cool untouched, away from drafts, for 12 to 24 hours before testing lid seals.
- Once cool, remove the screw bands and check the seal.
- If any jars did not seal, treat as if 'fresh' and do any of the following:
- Eat the food immediately.
- Refrigerate food and use within a week.
- Freeze.
- Reprocess. If reprocessing, must repeat the entire canning process.
8. Store
- With clean cloth or paper towel, wipe jars and lids to remove all residues.
- Label with date and processing method.
- Store in a cool, dark place, where there is no danger of freezing.
- Stored properly, canned fruits should retain their quality for about 1 year.
Not sure of your elevation? Click here
Boiling water bath (hot pack)-Pints or Quarts
| 0-1,000 ft |
1,001-3,000 ft |
3,001-6,000 ft |
6,001-9,000 ft |
| 20 minutes |
25 minutes |
30 minutes |
35 minutes |