Fall is my season and one of my favorite things to do is pick apples, come back home and make all the things. A way I like to store them is to can sliced apples. They are so versatile in all kinds of apple based desserts, meals and snacks.
This is a hot pack method using a honey syrup, which is safe and beginner-friendly. Apples are high-acid, so water bath canning works the best (no pressure canner needed).
Supplies Needed
Apples: 12–19 lbs firm, crisp varieties (Stayman Winesap, Rome, McIntosh, etc.).
Canning jars: Pint or quart, new lids, rings.
Water bath canner (or large pot with rack).
Lemon juice or ascorbic acid (prevents browning).
Honey (optional, for syrup).
Canning tools: Jar lifter, funnel, bubble remover, lid wand, etc. This kit works great!
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What Kind of Apples to Use
Well, there are a lot of apple variety’s out there haha. Did you know that there are so many more than what you see at the grocery store? Most people think of Granny Smith, HoneyCrip or Gala apples but I learned a lot of about apples years ago on one of my Fall apple pickin’ trips. I’m on the east so most of my apple pickin’ is in Virginia and Georgia. Here is a great image of all the apples along with each of their descriptions.
I was in Cana, VA one year (years ago) and I met some nice ladies at one of the markets off SR52. Both sides of the road are packed with markets that sell beautiful apples that are grown locally. I asked them what were the best apples for canning like apple sauce, apple butter and sliced apples. They told me, “Oh honey, you have to use the Heirloom Stayman (aka Stayman Winesap). I took their advice and I’ve never looked back. I’m not saying there aren’t other apple varieties you can use (of course there are!) but the Stayman is a great one to use. I have mixed McIntosh, Rome and York together as well.
My Jar Analysis
My goal really for canning the sliced apples is to make apple pie throughout the year. It takes 2+lbs of apples which is 2 quarts of sliced apples. So, I took 4 apples and weighed them. That came out to 2.6+/- lbs. I needed to figure out how many jars I wanted of sliced apples. I had 30 (2 were bad) apples and those weighed 17+ lbs. I then figured out how many apples would fill a quart jar. That was 2 1/2 apples. The apples I used were rather large. I ended up with 9 quart size jars and 1 pint size jar.
2 quarts =2 lbs of apples
2 jars divided by 8 = 4 apple pies
I have 1 quart and 1 pint jar left. Those will be used for fried apples.
Prepare the Equipment
1. Wash jars, lids, and rings in hot soapy water; rinse.
2. Sterilize jars: Submerge in boiling water 10 min (or dishwasher on sanitize cycle). Keep hot.
3. Fill canner halfway with water; bring to a simmer. Since the water takes a bit to come to a boil, I like to do this step prior to preparing the apples.
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Prepare the Apples
1. Wash apples thoroughly.
2. Peel, core, slice into ½-inch slices or wedges. I use this apple peeler, corer and slicer or a simple paring knife will do. Work in batches. This recipe is using roughly a 1/2 a bushel of apples. I counted a bag I bought recently and it had 32 apples in it.
3. Prevent browning: Soak slices in a solution of 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a bowl of water. I have four bowls going. One for the cores/seeds. One for the peels and scraps (cow feed) and two bowls of the lemon water for the apples.
Make Your Syrup
Once you have all your apples all sliced, it’s time to make the syrup. This recipe is using a 1/2 bushel of apples so I used 1 1/2 cups of local raw honey and 4 1/2 cups of water. I worked in batches so you’ll need to double this amount. This also yielded 5 quart size jars. Combine both in a pot on the stove and give it a good stir.
*Plain water or apple juice can be used instead of syrup but the honey syrup is so yummy!
Blanch the Apples
Drain the apples and add to the honey syrup pot on the stove. Bring to a light boil and then turn the heat off. In the next step, you’ll be packing the jars with the apples and syrup.
While the apples are cooking, place your lids in a pan of water and bring to a boil. That way, they will be ready when you are starting to pack the jars with the apples.
Hot Pack the Jars
Pack hot apples into jars leaving ½-inch headspace.
Ladle hot syrup over apples, maintaining the ½-inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles with a bubble remover tool. Wipe rims clean with a wet paper towel.
Apply lids and rings, fingertip tight. I like to place the lids on tight and then just back it up a finger size. Basically, it’s like you are unscrewing the lid but just do it lightly.
Process the Jars
1. Load jars into canner down into the water (water should cover jars by 1–2 inches).
2. The water should be getting close to boiling soon (see preparing the equipment step above). Start timer once the water is boiling. See the chart below on how long to process your jars.
3. After processing, turn off heat. Wait 5 min, then remove jars.
4. Cool upright on a towel for 12–24 hours. Do not disturb. I know it’s hard to wait but it’s best not to mess with your jars until they are cooled. If the lids haven’t completely sealed, they may shift and not seal properly.
Processing Times/Altitude Chart
Books I Recommend
So Easy to Preserve (University of Georgia) – This one is so worth it!
Check Seals/Storage
Lids should ping and be concave. This usually happens within an hour from the time you remove them from the canner. Test: Press center (no flex) or remove ring and lift jar by lid.
Label with date. Store in a cool, dark place aka your pantry.
If a jar fails to seal, refrigerate and use within 1 week.
Safety Tips
Use bottled lemon juice (consistent acidity).
Do not reduce processing time or headspace.
Discard any jars with mold, leaks, or off odors.
Resources
https://nchfp.uga.edu/papers/factsheets/Preserving_Food__Using_Boiling_Water_Canners.pdf
This is such a handy guide! I love the Jar Analysis part – who knew math could be so apple-licious? Using honey syrup sounds deliciously indulgent, though I might default to plain water to avoid sticky fingers (and potential lawsuits from overly enthusiastic pie-eaters). And those market tips in Virginia? Golden! Now, if only my garden could produce *that* many apples without me having to deal with actual bugs… Thanks for the laugh and the great advice!
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