Attempting to can apples for the first time and I am pretty confident that I filled the can up to the 1/2" point before the headspace starts. But after I pulled them out of the canner I have a good 1" of only liquid that the apples are floating on.
Did I do something wrong?
Is there a good way to really pack apples into the can before they go into the canner to avoid this wasted space?
Even with hot packing, getting the fruit to liquid ratio is challenging. My mother had it figured out, but even after years of canning, some of my batches have too much juice. My apple compote that I canned recently really leaned to the watery side even though I thought they were packed full. Maybe apples break down more proportionately than other types of fruit during processing?