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A bright and versatile rhubarb pie filling recipe suitable for water bath canning or freezing. Uses ClearJel for safe thickening, balancing rhubarb’s natural tartness with sugar and lemon juice.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 5 pounds sliced rhubarb (cut into 1-inch chunks)
  • 2 ½ cups sugar
  • 3 cups rhubarb juice (top up with water if insufficient)
  • lemon juice (quantity not specified)
  • ClearJel (quantity not specified)

Instructions

  1. Gather ingredients and canning tools, set jars, lids, and rings aside.
  2. Wash jars, lids, and rings; keep jars hot in simmering water or a hot canner.
  3. Start boiling water in water bath canner.
  4. Wash rhubarb stalks and slice into 1-inch chunks.
  5. In a large stainless steel bowl, mix the 5 pounds sliced rhubarb with 2 ½ cups sugar and stir to combine.
  6. Let the rhubarb-sugar mixture sit at room temperature for about 2 hours to draw out the juice.
  7. Strain the rhubarb, reserving the juice and setting the slices aside.
  8. Measure 3 cups of the reserved juice, topping up with water if needed.
  9. Whisk the measured cold juice, lemon juice, and ClearJel together in a large pot until smooth to dissolve the ClearJel.
  10. Heat the pot over medium-high and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring often.
  11. Boil the mixture for about 1 minute to activate the ClearJel and thicken the liquid.
  12. Stir the reserved rhubarb slices into the thickened juice, coat well, and bring back to a boil, then remove from heat.
  13. For freezing: let filling cool slightly, then ladle into freezer-safe containers leaving 1 inch headspace, seal, label, cool to room temperature, and freeze.
  14. For canning: keep jars hot and spoon hot filling into jars leaving 1 inch headspace.
  15. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims clean, center lids, and screw on rings finger-tight.
  16. Process jars in a boiling water bath: 20 minutes for quarts, 15 minutes for pints, adjusting processing time for altitude.
  17. Lift jars carefully from canner and let cool undisturbed until sealed.
  18. Check seals when jars are cool; refrigerate or freeze any unsealed jars; store sealed jars in a cool, dark place.

Notes

Use a wide-mouth funnel, ladle, bubble remover/spatula, and jar lifter for ease and safety., Always whisk ClearJel into cold juice to prevent lumps., Cook in a heavy-bottomed pot and stir constantly to prevent burning., Adjust chunk size for desired texture: larger chunks for chunkier filling, smaller for softer jam-like texture., Adjust sugar gradually to suit taste; large reductions affect texture and mouthfeel., Leave 1 inch headspace for freezing and canning; remove air bubbles and clean jar rims before sealing., Unsealed jars should be refrigerated or frozen and used quickly; they should not be stored at room temperature., Reheat and whisk in extra ClearJel if filling is too thin after cooling, then boil for 1 minute to activate thickener again., Freeze filling with 1-inch headspace to allow expansion; label with date; best eaten within 6 months., Date and rotate jars; canned filling is best within 1 year., Adjust canning times for altitude according to USDA or local extension guidelines., Quarts are ideal for a 9-inch pie; pints are suitable for smaller portions or gifts.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mamapantry.com/canning-rhubarb-pie-filling/