UC Master Food Preserver Program
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Pear-fection: Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie Filling (October 2025)

Kirsten Hansen, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer

Finished product of spiced apple, pear, and cranberry filling.

Image Credit: Penny Pearson, 2025. 

 

October is peak apple and pear season across much of California. This tasty Apple-Pear-Cranberry pie filling makes the most of the season’s abundance and gives you a start on holiday baking; when it’s time to make a holiday pie, just open a quart of the pie filling, add it to your favorite pie crust, and bake. 

Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie Filling

Yield: About 3 (1-QT/1-L) jars

Source: The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving © 2016

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (1 L) water
  • ¾ cup (175 mL) bottled lemon juice, divided
  • 5 cups (1.25 L) thinly sliced peeled apples (2 lb./1kg apples)
  • 5 cups (1.25 L) thinly sliced peeled pears (2 ¼ lb./1kg pears)
  • 2 cups (500 mL) cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
  • 2 1.2 cups (625 mL) sugar
  • 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg

Instructions

  1. Combine water and ¼ cup (60 mL) lemon juice in a large bowl. Submerge apple and pear slices in lemon water: drain.
  2. Combine fruit slices, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and remaining ½ cup (125 mL) lemon juice in a 6-qt (6-L) stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover and cook 10 minutes or until fruit releases its juices, stirring occasionally.
  3. Ladle hot fruit mixture into a hot jar, leaving 1/2-inch (1-cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band and adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in a boiling-water canner or atmospheric steam canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
  4. Process jars for 30 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see table below). Turn off heat, remove lid from canner, and let jars stand for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside to cool.
  5. After jars are cool, check the seals, remove the rings, wash the jars if needed, label and store in a cool, dark place. Store any jars that did not seal in the refrigerator and use within a week. Alternatively, transfer the contents of unsealed jars to a freezer container or bag and freeze. Use within 6 months for best quality.
Pot on the stove filled with sliced apples, pears, cranberries, sugar, and spices.

Image Credit: Penny Pearson, 2025. 

 

To bake your pie: 

Preheat oven to 400̊°F (200°C). Prepare your favorite pie crust. Roll out the piecrust into a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Drain 1/3 cup of syrup from 1 jar of pie filling into a medium bowl. Whisk in 2 tablespoons (30 mL) cornstarch until smooth. Add remaining pie filling, gently stirring to blend into cornstarch mixture. Pour into an unbaked pie shell in a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate set on a baking sheet. Bake at 400°̊F (200°C) for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350̊°F (190̊°C); bake 25 more minutes or until golden brown. 

 

Boiling water/Atmospheric Steam Canning Altitude Adjustments

Altitude Above Sea Level

Increase Processing Time by

1,001 – 3,000 feet

5 minutes

3,001 – 6,000 feet

10 minutes

6,001 – 8,000 feet

15 minutes

8,001 – 10,000 feet

20 minutes

 

Want more pear and apple recipes? Join the Master Food Preserver Online Delivery Program in October and November for a series of pear and apple-focused online classes. 

Pear-Fection: Preserving the Flavors of Fall, Tuesday, 10/14/25, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Pear-Licious!: Preserving the Flavors of Fall, Saturday, 10/2, 10:00 - 11:00am

Core skills: Apple Butter & Dehydrated Apple Rings, Saturday, 11/8/25, 1:00 - 2:00 PM

From Orchard to Table: Apple Pie Filling & Freezing Apples, Wednesday, 11/19, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm