Pies in Jars!

I'm embarrassed to say, my mom got a Stumbleupon account. While she was stumbling around the internet, she came across this awesome article, and gave me the link.

I bought some jars a few months back, and recently I finally got an opportunity to try this out. I figured out right away that I didn't have to cut the crust to fit perfectly into the jar in one piece (plus, that would be a hilarious geometric anomaly - think about it for a minute), so I just took small pieces of the dough and pushed them together inside the jar until it was covered completely. 

Then we filled them with fruit.

We made six. I put four in the freezer for later, and baked two. One of the big concerns with this method is temperature. The jars are heat-treated, because they're used for canning. If you make the pie and put it directly in the oven, it's fine. But if you want to freeze it for later use, you have to let it come to room temperature before putting it in the oven - the concern here being that if you bring it up to temp too quickly, the jar will crack.

Also be sure not to place the glass jars directly on a metal baking sheet, as this may also cause the jars to crack.

After they came out of the oven, I let them cool slightly, then put the lid on and put them in the fridge. This is the other point at which temperature is a concern: if you want the jars to seal, you have to let them come down slightly, as the oven is much hotter than boiling water. I was pleasantly surprised when it worked, and the jars sealed safely! Now I'm wondering if the pies can be safely shipped. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I might just try it as an experiment, so be on the lookout for tiny care packages. ^_^

Here they are after opening:

Brandon's strawberry pie.

My apple pie. 

These pies are the perfect serving size, and they're so cute! We have four more in the freezer for later. That'll make for a nice treat after a long day. ^_^