Canned Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling
I don’t know about you but my family LOVES strawberry rhubarb pie and crumble. We usually have a lot of it during spring and summertime and then when rhubarb season is over all the fun stops. A few years ago I learned about canned strawberry rhubarb pie filling. Since then I started making these delicious summer homemade pies all year long. When you can the pie filling all you have to do to make your dessert is dump it in a crust or crumble and bake! Super fast and easy! I also freeze strawberries and rhubarb if I don’t have enough time to can the pie filling. Make sure to combine this pie filling recipe with my FAVORITE crumble recipe which you can find here.
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Prepping your Strawberries & Rhubarb
Whether you are freezing or canning, the first thing you have to do is pick your rhubarb and strawberries. Remember, pull and twist (not cut) the rhubarb stalks and cut the seed pods so your plant will keep producing. Cut off the leaves and ends of the rhubarb and then wash and cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut off the stems of the strawberries, then wash and cut those too. When I was a kid I used to dip rhubarb stalks in sugar and eat them raw! Now I prefer them in pie but the sour taste does bring back childhood memories. Rhubarb leaves are toxic to animals and people so make sure you get rid of those!
Get your water bath canner and all your canning supplies ready to go. You’ll need about 5 quart jars with lids and rings, along with a rag or paper towel to wipe the rims, a funnel, a jar lifter, and an extra pot for heating lids. A set like THIS would be perfect if you are a beginner and don’t have all of the canning supplies yet. I have tried canning without some of these things and it is doable but it makes things a little bit more difficult.
Boil the jars and keep them warm until you’re ready to ladle the pie filling into them. Warm the lids in a small pan. These don’t need to boil, they just need to get hot so the rubber will seal properly. The rings don’t need to be warmed up. This recipe will make about 5 quarts of rhubarb strawberry pie filling. It takes 1-1 1/2 quarts to make a pie, depending on how much filling you like.
Canned Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling
In a large pot combine sugar and Clear Jel. Stir in water. You’ll want to combine the sugar and Clear Jel first to help incorporate the Clear Jel seamlessly in the water. Cook on medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Continue stirring and scraping the bottom, this mixture will thicken very quickly. If it gets too thick or starts sticking to the bottom, add water. Add lemon juice and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in the strawberries and rhubarb. You can play with the rhubarb-to-strawberry ratio here. If you like the pie to be a little more tart, add more rhubarb and fewer strawberries. You’ll be all set as long as you have about 20 cups total.
Ladle the hot strawberry rhubarb pie filling into the hot jars, leaving 1 1/2 inches of head space. You don’t want to overfill these jars because they tend to ooze out if you do (don’t ask me how I know 😂) Slide a butter knife or tool down the inside of the jar to get any air bubbles out. Wipe off the rims of the jars with a wet rag and put hot lids on. Tighten rings to fingertip tight and place the jars into a warmed water bath canner.
Water should be 1 inch above the jars in the canner. Bring the water to a boil and process for 30 minutes. Using a jar lifter, take the jars out of the canner and allow to cool on a towel for 24 hours. Check the seal and store in a cool dry place. If any of the jars do not seal, store in the refrigerator and make a pie asap!
To Make Rhubarb Strawberry Pie
When you are ready to make your pie preheat the oven to 425º Pour 1-1 1/2 jars of pie filling into a prepared pie crust. Top with a second pie crust or a crumble top. Bake at 425º for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375º and bake for another 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbly. Cool and serve (with ice cream of course)!
If you want to make a crumble instead check out this Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble recipe. I just might like the crumble more than the pie.
Clear Jel vs Sure Jell vs Cornstarch
When I first learned about canning pie filling I read that I needed a thickening agent called Clear Jel. I looked for it at the store but could never find it (spoiler alert: still can’t find it, look on Amazon here) I did however find a lot of Sure Jell, which I had used before in some jam recipes. I also thought about using cornstarch because I had used that in pie recipes before. I’m glad I did a little research before I made a quick swap because these three products are slightly different and are used for different things.
Sure Jell will set your jams and jellies while Clear Jel is a thickening agent (used instead of flour, cornstarch, tapioca, etc.) for your canned pie filling. If you make the canned strawberry rhubarb pie filling with a traditional thickener, such as cornstarch, the filling will goop up and it likely won’t incorporate properly. Clear Jel is the secret ingredient that will help your pie fillings thicken while helping them keep their bright color and delicious taste. Do yourself a favor and order some Clear Jel so you have it on hand when canning season starts. Make sure to get the regular kind and not instant, so it will work properly.
Canned Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling
Equipment
- 1 water bath canner
- canning supplies
- 4-5 quart jars and lids
Ingredients
- 12 cups rhubarb cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 cups strawberries cut
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups Clear Jel
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare jars by boiling them in water bath canner and keeping hot until pie filling is ready. Warm up the lids until just before boiling.
- Wash and cut strawberries and rhubarb into bite sized pieces.
- In a large pot combine sugar and Clear Jel. Stir in water. Cook on medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. It will thicken very quickly. If it gets too thick, add water.
- Add lemon juice and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Fold in the strawberries and rhubarb.
- Ladle the hot strawberry rhubarb pie filling into the hot jars, leaving 1 1/2 inches of head space. Go around the outside of the jar with a tool or butter knife to get the bubbles out of the jar. Wipe off the rims of the jars with a wet rag and put hot lids on. Tighten rings and place the jars into a water bath canner.
- Water should be 1 inch above the jars in the canner. Bring the water to a boil and process for 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a towel for 24 hours. Check the seal and store. If any of the jars did not seal store in the refrigerator and make a pie soon!
To make Pie
- Preheat the oven to 425º
- Pour 1 jar of pie filling into a prepared pie crust. Top with a second pie crust or a crumble top.
- Bake at 425º for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375º and bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly.
- Cool and serve!
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