After finishing canning my peaches, I have moved on to apples! 
     I started out canning Red Hot Cinnamon Apple Slices.  I would have done rings like I usually do, but my apple peeler, corer thing wasn't working right, so I ended up doing slices.  They came out beautifully though and taste delicious.  
     I always like to look around and see if there is something a little different to try when I am canning.  This time I came across a recipe from the fantastic blog, Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons, where she shares a recipe for Salted Caramel Apple Butter.  It sounded delicious, but she said that she had never tried to can it but thought it could be done.  I decided to try it out and I love the results!  I made a few changes and decided to turn my version into an applesauce, which can easily be used as an apple butter as well.  

     Have you ever heard of a conserve?  Either had I until I was looking through an old canning book and came across a recipe for an Apple conserve that looked pretty delicious.  
     
      I was at the tail end of canning peaches and still had apples to start on when I saw that recipe and it made me wonder: #1-What is a conserve?  And, #2-How would an Apple Peach Conserve taste?  And so, I set about trying to find out. 

     I thought I was all done with canning peaches and then my DH walked in with another boxful!  I was happy to get them, but they were perfectly ripe, so I had to get canning them quickly!  I wasn't going to can any pie filling this year, but I did have enough Clear Jel in my cupboard to do one batch of Peach Pie Filling, so that is what I did.  

     For years I canned pie filling with cornstarch, but now the new instruction is that cornstarch is bad, so is flour and only Clear Jel is appropriate for canning as a thickener.  Flour or cornstarch are fine to use when baking fresh or freezing, but not for canning. Here is what the National Center for Home Canning says,  "Clear Jel® is a chemically modified corn starch that produces excellent sauce consistency even after fillings are canned and baked. Other available starches break down when used in these pie fillings, causing a runny sauce consistency." (https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-fruits-and-fruit-products/pie-fillings/)   Personally, I never had my pie filling break down and become runny, but I still ran out and bought  Clear Jel because I don't ever want to be responsible for anyone having canning failure when they can.  Happily, back when I was using cornstarch, I wasn't inadvertently causing botulism to anyone, so that is good news.  

     I have determined that I will probably start canning the fruit slices for pie filling and then simply thicken it when I am ready to make a pie.  That is why I had decided not to can pie filling, but I figured that I ought to use up the Clear Jel that I already had on hand, so Peach Pie Filling it is! 

     The recipe is simple and easy to follow.  I always feel like the most difficult part of canning peaches is peeling them, just because it takes a couple of steps: 

• Blanch the peaches for 1 minute or a little more in boiling water.  (Slicing a tiny  x on the bottom part of the peach peel may help the skin to get ready to come off.)
• Quickly transfer the peaches to an icy bath of water.  (I fill one side of my sink with water and ice.)
• Peel the  skin off easily, then slice the peaches, removing the pit. 

     I like to use quart jars for pie filling, but pints work, you will just need 2 or 3 to fill a 9" pie.  I usually use 1 and 1/2 quarts for one pie, so I can quarts and pints when I make pie filling. It depends on the size of pan you will use and how full of fruit you like your pie to be.  When the time comes to make your pie simply:

• put a crust in your pie dish and dump in the pie filling. 
• I like to sprinkle a little cinnamon on top of the filling and dot it with butter. 
• Then, I put on the top crust.  You can do a full top crust, a lattice crust or even a crumb topping.
• Then  pop it in the oven. 
• I start at 425 degrees F. and after 20 minutes, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees F. for 1/2 and hour.  
• When the pie is golden brown it should be perfect without a soggy bottom crust! 

       Here is the recipe for the filling! Click on the recipe card for a printable version.
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     Once school starts and Fall weather starts its gradual approach, I start feeling ready to make treats to greet the end of year holidays.  It is the time of year when fudge enters into the line-up of sweets.  It isn't really on the radar the rest of the year.  
     Last year, I added a couple of new fudge flavors to my holiday platters and I have been waiting all year to share them with you! 
     Today, I'm sharing Root Beer Float Fudge because Halloween the first major Fall holiday and I associate root beer with Halloween.  Well, if you know me, I love root beer all year round, but at Halloween, we always have a chili cook-off at our church and my friend Rhonda's family always provides homemade root beer.  Then, besides the kids getting to do a Trunk or Treat at all of the cars in the parking lot, there is always a very full dessert table for everyone to enjoy.  (We start the last 2 months of the year with a giant sugar rush! )  I think this year, this Root Beer Float Fudge will make an appearance on that dessert table! 

     Last year for the holidays, I add this this fudge to a plate of other varieties of fudge and candies and they were well received! 

     Mini marshmallows take the place of floating scoops of ice cream in this fudge and I used extract for the root beer flavor.  Sweetened condensed milk makes this an easy fudge to put together.  

     Be sure to click on the recipe to get the printable version! If you love root beer like I do, you will enjoy this fudge! 
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