Home Canned Blackberry or Raspberry Pie Filling

If you're growing blackberries, canning homemade pie filling is a delicious way to preserve your berries. 

Today's recipe is for an amazingly delicious home canned blackberry pie filling. This easy recipe can be made using fresh or frozen blackberries, and only calls for 6 ingredients. I love having shelf stable, canned pie filling on hand for cheesecake toppings, fruit crisps, pies and cobblers. Just imagine being able to bake pies with out-of -season berries, quickly and easily throughout the year using ready made pie filling!

Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find blackberry pie filling in the grocery store? There are only a few brands that actually make it and even fewer retailers that actually carry it. But no worries because making your own pie filling is easy to do, and it tastes so much better than what you get in a can. Not to mention, you get more fruit in a homemade pie filling.     

We have a small blackberry patch in our backyard and this year we picked about 3-4 gallons of blackberries. I know that doesn't sound like much to some, but for us, there's plenty to freeze for cobblers, canned pie filling and to make a batch or two of berry freezer jam. 

This years  berries were big and sweet!!! We normally pick about a cereal bowl size every other day. We rinse, dry and package them in bags and store them in the freezer. When I have enough to make pie filling or jelly I just pull them out and I'm ready to go. This pie filling recipe works on most berry varieties so you don't have to just settle on blackberry. 

A couple of weeks back, when I was at Costco, they had an awesome sale on fresh raspberries. Each 12 oz package was $1.89! I purchased 11 containers and when I went to check out, the cashier stated that Costco received a duplicate produce order, so they had a ton of raspberries. What blessing for me because I was able to make blackberry and raspberry pie filling. 

This recipe uses simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. So, more than likely,  you will just need the berries (unless you have fresh) and the Clear Jel thickener (this is the one I use). Below is just and overview of the recipe. You'll find the full printable recipe at the end of this post. Let's get started. 

Before you begin, prepare a water bath canner and gather together your sterilized jars, lids and rings. If using fresh, pick over the blackberries, removing any stems, leaves or debris. Then wash and drain the fruit. If using frozen fruit, thaw them in a colander over a bowl and reserve the juice. I used frozen blackberries that we previously picked from our garden last year. 

Bring a few quarts of water to a boil on the stove and blanch the blackberries (using a handled strainer) for 30 seconds to 1 minute until they're heated through. Work in batches, and be gentle with the fruit so it doesn't fall apart.

Remove them with the handled strainer or a slotted spoon and keep them warm while making the clear gel mixture.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and clear jel. Mix together and set aside. 

In a large pot (large enough to hold all the fruit) add the cold water or use the reserved cool juice form the strained berries. 

Add the clear Jel - sugar mixture and whisk to dissolve the clear jel completely. This is important! Do not turn on the heat until the clear Jel is fully dissolved into the water. 

When everything is dissolved, turn on the heat to medium-high and whisk continuously until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.

As soon as it bubbles, add the lemon juice and cook for 1 additional minute.

Turn off the heat and fold in the drained berries, being careful not to break up the berries.

Immediately fill the canning jars with the mixture, taking extra care to de bubble the jars as the mixture will be thick. Leave a 1-inch headspace, and don't skimp here. Be sure the headspace is no less than 1 inch because the pie filling will expand. Wipe the rims to ensure a clean seal.

To the jars with one lid and one ring and tighten to finger tight. Process in a hot water bath canner for 30 minutes. Once the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit undisturbed in the canner for about 10 minutes. This reduces the risk of siphoning as you remove the jars from the canner.

Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter and allow them to cool on a towel lined counter for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals, and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use. Wash the jars and rim under warm water and dry off. Store pie filling in a dark, dry pantry for up to 18 months.

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