×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Buyers Guides
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Gardening LIfe
      • Animals in the Garden
      • Funny Business
      • Gardening History
      • Gardening Humor
      • Gardening Mishaps
      • Gardening Poems
      • Gardening Romance
      • Gardening Science
      • Gardening with Kids
      • Healing Gardens
      • Joy of Gardening
      • Mystical Gardens
      • Ornamental Gardening
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • GreenPrints Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Books
    • GuideBooks
    • Cookbooks
      • Beverages
      • Bakery
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Salads & Dressings
      • Soups
      • Entrées
      • Side Dishes & Sauces
      • Desserts
    • Story Collections
    • StoryBooks
    • Recipe Collections
  • Kits
    • Garden Calendars
    • Garden Plans
    • Recipe Cards
    • Greeting Cards
    • ArtPrints
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Authors
  • GreenPrints Writer’s Guidelines
  • Keyword Index
  • Join
Celebrating 5 Years of Food Gardening

Food Gardening Network

Growing food, fun & more

Give a GiftJoin
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Buyers Guides
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Gardening Life
      • Animals in the Garden
      • Funny Business
      • Gardening History
      • Gardening Humor
      • Gardening Mishaps
      • Gardening Poems
      • Gardening Romance
      • Gardening Science
      • Gardening with Kids
      • Healing Gardens
      • Joy of Gardening
      • Mystical Gardens
      • Ornamental Gardening
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • GreenPrints Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Books
    • GuideBooks
    • Cookbooks
      • Beverages
      • Bakery
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Salads & Dressings
      • Soups
      • Entrées
      • Side Dishes & Sauces
      • Desserts
    • Story Collections
    • StoryBooks
    • Recipe Collections
  • Kits
    • Garden Calendars
    • Garden Plans
    • Recipe Cards
    • Greeting Cards
    • ArtPrints
  • Sign In
  • Search

7 Foolproof Tips for Pressure Canning Apples

7 Foolproof Tips for Pressure Canning Apples

Find out how you can enjoy apples all year long and add to your food pantry by pressure canning apples.

By Amanda MacArthur | October 25, 2024

pressure canning apples

When it comes to buying or picking apples, I always end up with way more than I actually need. The giant basket of apples taunts me from my countertop, knowing that I will never get through them fast enough before they start to go bad. Freezing fresh apples is one way of keeping them from going bad, but I also love pressure canning apples and storing them in my pantry for later use in pies, breads, apple butter, and apple sauce.

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

Canning gets a bad rap for being time consuming and old fashioned. Even my own opinions were shaped by Little House on the Prairie or some grandma making jam. (For the record, I think grandmas make the very best jam and I stand by that statement!) I just didn’t think canning food would ever be my thing. And I’m happy to report that I was very wrong! This past year, especially, has taught me a lot about the importance of self-sufficiency and not wasting resources. Pressure canning apples gives me the ability to enjoy apples months after I’ve picked or purchased them. Here are seven tips for pressure canning apples so you can enjoy them all year long.

Use the right tools

Normally I don’t like to buy extra kitchen gadgets when a spoon, fork, and knife typically do the job. But for pressure canning apples, and any type of canning, it’s definitely worth the investment. From a personal safety standpoint, you’ll be dealing with hot liquids and canned goods well over boiling temperatures. Having the right instruments to protect your hands and body from extreme heat is important. From a food safety standpoint, using the right tools will help keep you from contaminating your canned apples. Here is a simple set of tools that will get you started.

Prepare your jars and lids

Before pressure canning apples, make sure your jars, lids, and bands are clean. You can clean your jars in a dishwasher or hand wash. It’s a good time to inspect your jars during this step for any cracks. Never use jars with cracks or chips when pressure canning apples, or anything else for that matter, since the jars can further break and even cause other jars in your pressure canner to shatter.

The neat thing about pressure canning is that you can skip the sterilizing steps you would normally take for a hot-water canning method since the temperature of the pressurized steam will heat well beyond boiling to 240 degrees. This is hot enough to kill dangerous bacteria that can grow in low acid foods.

Choose the right apples

When pressure canning apples, it’s good to think about how you may use the preserved apples in the future. If you want the apple slices to retain their shape, for use in pies and crumbles, you’ll want to choose a medium-hard to hard apple like a Gala, Red Delicious, or Cortland. Pressure canning a softer apple, like Fuji or McIntosh will still work just fine, but you might end up with a mushier canned apple better suited for apple butter or baking.

Peel, Core, and Slice

After you peel, core, and slice your apples, give them a good rinse and soak them in a bowl with water and lemon juice. This will prevent the apples from browning.

Use a simple syrup or even apple juice!

Depending on the recipe you’re following, you can blanch the apples in boiling water, simple syrup, or bottled apple juice. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking, but using a simple syrup made from pure cane sugar and water is a great way to enhance the flavor of the apple. Follow your recipe for exact timing but for pressure canning apples, it’s usually 5-10 minutes after the mixture begins to boil.

Use the right temperature of water in your canner and follow your canner’s instructions

Match the temperature of the water in your pressure canner with the temp of the contents of the jars. For pressure canning apples, you’ll be adding a hot mixture to fill your jars. Use boiling or very hot water to fill the base of your pressure canner to prevent your jars from cracking. (Likewise, if you fill your jars with cold food and liquid before pressure canning, use cold water to fill your pressure canner.)

Each pressure canner will come with its own manufacturing instructions and different models may have different guidelines to follow. Be sure to take some time to familiarize yourself with your pressure canner and pay close attention. Pressure canning is a great way to safely preserve foods if you follow the directions carefully. Unlike a hot water canning method, you will not submerge your cans underwater, but rather just use a few inches or so. (Check your canner instructions for exact amounts). For some food safety guidance and pressure canning information, check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  

Storing pressure canned apples

When pressure canning apples and other fruits and vegetables, how you store your jars is just as important as pressure canning in terms of food safety. Depending on the size of your jars, you may have the urge to stack your jars in the pantry. Use caution in stacking jars, since too much weight placed on a jar can damage each jar’s seal. I recommend no more than a two-jar stack.

What recipe do you use for pressure canning apples? What is your favorite tip or trick? Share your ideas in the comments!

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

« 7 Tips for Storing Squash No Matter What Type
How Caring for Plants Can Make You Happier and Healthier »

Related Posts

  • Signs of Food Spoilage in Preserved Vegetables
  • Pressure Canning Safety: 10 Rules to Live By
  • 15 Long Lasting Root Cellar Vegetables and Fruits

Tags

freezing fresh apples, pressure canning apples

Comments
  • Penny July 1, 2024

    How many pounds of pressure for the apples? 5-10-15???

    Reply
  • Margaret W. March 3, 2022

    Can you can apples in an instant pot or do you have to have a stove top canner?

    Reply
    • Nancy P. December 5, 2023

      An instant pot is a pressure Cooker, not a pressure canner. So, no. It is not the same.

      Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Give a Gift

FREEBIE!

With your FREEBIE, you’ll also receive regular email messages from the Food Gardening Network. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your email address is private. We promise never to sell, rent or disclose your email address to third parties.

Freebies

  • Worst Best Gardening Jokes Calendar
  • 5 Easy Healthy Carrot Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Lemon Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Salsa Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Apple Recipes
  • 5 Easy Healthy Chicken Breast Recipes
  • Top 11 Food Gardening Tools You Need to Succeed
  • A Printable Companion Planting Chart
  • Plants for Bug Control Chart
  • Printable Seed Germination Temperature Chart
  • Printable Tomato Garden-to-Table Chart
  • Planning Your Perfect Food Garden
  • Printable Butterfly Garden Planting Chart
  • The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes
  • Printable Composting 101 Charts
  • How to Master Spice and Herb Gardening at Home
  • Printable Monthly Gardening Calendar
  • 10 Best Garden Poems of All Time
  • Vegetable Garden Planting Chart Freebie
  • Printable Flower Garden Companion Planting Chart
  • 10 Things You Can Grow That Your Pet Will LOVE To Eat!
  • Rose Garden Planting Chart Freebie
  • Printable Kitchen Garden Planting Charts
  • Sunflower Garden Planting Chart Freebie
  • Seasonal ArtPrints Collection Kit Sampler
  • Sampler: Gardening Humor
  • Sampler: Wit, Wisdom, & Learning
  • Gardening in Every Season
  • How to Start a Freedom Garden
  • Recipes from Your Garden
  • Sampler: Animals in the Garden
  • Sampler: Healing Gardens
  • Sampler: Joy of Gardening
  • Growing Vegetables Indoors for Beginners
  • 15 Easiest Fruits to Grow at Home
  • How to Grow a Vegetable Garden

Browse Topics

  • Buyers Guides
  • Composting
  • Container Gardening
  • Easy Healthy Recipes
  • Food Preservation
  • Garden Design
  • Garden Tools
  • Gardening Life
  • Growing Fruits & Berries
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Ornamental Gardening
  • Pests & Diseases
  • Seeds & Seedlings
  • Soil & Fertilizer
  • Spice & Herb Gardening
  • Uncategorized
  • Vegetable Gardening
  • Watering & Irrigation

Buyers Guides:

  • 9 Automated Garden Tools for Effortless Growing
  • 12 Cool Gardening Tools and Gifts for the Plant Lover in Your Life
  • Choosing the Best Shovel for Your Gardening Needs
  • 10 Gardening Tools for Seniors That Actually Make a Difference
  • This Countertop Compost Machine Turns Scraps into Compost in a Few Hours
  • 10+ Food Gardening Gadgets We Love
  • 15 Adaptive and Accessible Gardening Tools and Raised Beds
  • 13 Canning Tools, Supplies & Equipment You Need
  • The 3 Best Gardening Shoes
  • 5+ Best Bird Deterrents for Gardens
  • Shop Our Amazon Store

Authors:

  • Bill Dugan
  • Amanda MacArthur
  • Mike McGrath
  • Don Nicholas
  • Norann Oleson
  • Christy Page
  • Becky Rupp
  • Beth Rush
  • Pat Stone
  • Diana Wells

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • GardenComm Laurel Media Award
  • MCMA logo
  • Join Now
  • Learn More
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

To learn more about our Email Marketing and Broadcasting Services, Exchange Program, or to become a marketing partner with any of our publications, click here to contact us at Mequoda Publishing Network.

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2025 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network®, Food Gardening Magazine® and GreenPrints® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.

Go to mobile version