My husband and I had high hopes of making it out to a provincial park this fall to forage for wild cranberries. Apparently they’re plentiful in a couple of the nearby parks, but the parks are quite large and we wouldn’t know where to look, so we ended up not making the trip out. As well, if we got there too early or too late and the berries weren’t ready or were gone, we could be staring right at a cranberry bush and just not know it.
My cranberry plans for the year were dashed… until the Sunday after Thanksgiving when I found bags of cranberries on clearance for 99 cents at the grocery store. (I looked again after Christmas but they didn’t have as many left over so it looks like they didn’t put them on clearance.)
I wasn’t ready to deal with the cranberries yet, so I stored them all in the freezer — which ended up being a good thing. Freezing cranberries for at least a week reduces their pectin content by at least half. Since my plan was to make juice and not jam, I want as little pectin as possible in my final product.
I used some of the bags of cranberries to try a batch of cranberry wine — so that will likely be a future post too.
Three ways to juice and can cranberries
There are a few ways to go about this project of making cranberry juice and canning it — and one of those methods doesn’t even involve juicing the cranberries at all.
Since this was my first batch of cranberry juice, I only did one method (the steam juicer method), but I’ll outline the three methods here so you can go with your preference.
Juicing option one: Canning berries and sugar
This is the method that does not require any actual juicing and thus this one is the easiest method to take on. Plus, it just looks darn gorgeous.
In a warmed quart jar, add 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of whole cranberries, then top with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar. If you’re using smaller jars, adjust ratios, but don’t go larger than quarts.
Top with boiling water to 1/2 inch headspace, wipe rims, attach two part lids to fingertip tightness, and then process in a water bath canner (check the recipe card below for the canning time).
Since with this method you’re technically canning berries and not juice, sealed jars will have to sit on a shelf for 4-6 weeks for the berries to fully infuse the sugar-water and create juice.
Juicing option two: Boiling and straining cranberries
This method is more involved at this stage, but at the end you have simply juice in the jars and don’t have to worry about straining out berries when you pour a glass for yourself.
Starting by putting three pounds of cranberries (which is four of the typical 12 ounce bags) and four quarts of water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Strain cranberries—a jelly bag or a mesh strainer lined with a couple layers of cheesecloth would both work. Let it sit for about a half hour for it to fully strain.
Reserve the juice but add the cranberries back to the pot along with two quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Strain again, but you can strain for a shorter time now, about 15 minutes.
Reserve the juice but add the cranberries back to the pot one more time, along with one quart of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Strain for a final time, letting it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Transfer all the juice to a new pot and bring to just below a simmer, about 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, but do not bring to a boil. Add your desired amount of sugar (in the recipe card below).
Fill jars to 1/4 inch headspace, wipe rims, attach two-part lids to fingertip tightness, and process in a water bath canner as per the instructions in the recipe card.
Since this method started by making juice, juice can be consumed as soon as it cools, but sealed jars can sit on a shelf until needed.
Juicing option three: Using a steam juicer
Ever since getting a steam juicer, I’ve been looking for excuses to use it—and making cranberry juice seemed like the perfect time to pull it out of the pantry.
The process of making cranberry juice with the steam juicer is the same as any other—set up the steam juicer as per manufacturer directions, load it up with cranberries, and let the heat and steam do its work.
Technically, what you end up with is cranberry juice concentrate. You can keep at this concentration or dilute it with some water.
This is where I improvised a little bit, so here’s what I did and why:
- Since by steam juicing, we are extracting the same amount of juice as we do in the “boil and strain” method, and that method ended up with 7 quarts (about 6.6 litres) of juice, I aimed for the same here.
- I measured how much juice concentrate I had and then topped it off with water until I reached 7 quarts / 6.6 litres.
- Since I was improvising a little bit, I did do a test to ensure this is safe to can. A couple years ago I bought some pH testing strips to test for acidity — you might remember these from chemistry class at school. To be safe for water bath canning, the pH must be 4.6 or below. With a quick test, the pH strip turned the colour for 4, meaning it was in the safe zone.
Satisfied with regard to safety, I then stirred in sugar, warmed it up again, and canned it as per the directions below.
Taste test: The final result
It was good! It was a little watered down, though. So, next time I will add less water (which will mean it’s even more acidic so definitely safe for canning).
Cranberry Juice
Equipment
- 1 Steam Juicer (Optional)
- Strainer Lined with Cheesecloth (Optional)
- Canning Jars and Lids
- Water Bath Canner
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Cranberries (four standard 12 ounce bags)
- 7 qts Water (6.6 liters)
- 1¾ – 3½ cups Sugar
Instructions
Boiling Berries Method
- Add cranberries to a large pot and add four quarts (3.8 litres) water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Cranberries should pop.
- Strain cranberries through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or through a jelly bag. Let drain for about 30 minutes. Collect juice and put aside.
- Return cranberries to the pot and add two quarts (1.9 litres) water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Strain again and let sit for 15 minutes. Collect juice and add to already reserved juice.
- Return cranberries to the pot and add one quart (0.9 litres) water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Strain again and let sit for 5 minutes. Collect juice and add to already reserved juice.
- Discard cranberry pulp.
- Prepare a water bath canner by pre-heating it and bringing the water to a near-simmer.
- Transfer reserved juice to a clean pot and warm about 180-190 degrees F, which is just barely simmering. Do not let the juice boil.
- Add sugar to taste, if you choose.
- Ladle hot juice into prewarmed canning jars, quart size or smaller, leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims with a paper towel wetted with white vinegar and attach two-part lids to fingertip tightness.
- Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes, or 15 minutes if at an elevation of 1,000 feet or higher. Start the timer once the water reaches a full boil and keep it at a full boil.
- Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove jars from canner and let sit on a thick towel on a counter or table overnight. In the morning, check that jars have sealed. Sealed jars are shelf stable and can be kept for 12-18 months before quality begins to degrade. Unsealed jars should be put in the fridge and consumed promptly.
Steam Juicer Method
- Set up steam juicer as per manufacturer directions. Load the juicer with cranberries and turn on heat. Keep an eye on the juicer to ensure the water in the bottom pot does not run dry.
- Collect juice concentrate. Continue until berries no longer produce juice. Resist the temptation to mash the berries to obtain more juice, as this will lead to pulp in the juice.
- Transfer juice concentrate to a large clean pot. You can proceed with the juice concentrate as-is or add water. If adding water, ensure the total volume (of both water and juice) does not exceed seven quarts (6.6 litres). However, going for a full seven quarts produces a rather watered-down juice. I’d recommend going for a total volume (of both water and juice) of 5 quarts (4.7 litres). Adding less water will also ensure acidity is in the safe zone for canning.
- Prepare a water bath canner by pre-heating it and bringing the water to a near-simmer.
- Warm juice to about 180-190 degrees F, which is just barely simmering. Do not let the juice boil.
- Ladle hot juice into prewarmed canning jars, quart size or smaller, leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rims with a paper towel wetted with white vinegar and attach two-part lids to fingertip tightness.Add sugar to taste, if you choose.
- Process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes, or 15 minutes if at an elevation of 1,000 feet or higher. Start the timer once the water reaches a full boil and keep it at a full boil.
- Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove jars from canner and let sit on a thick towel on a counter or table overnight. In the morning, check that jars have sealed. Sealed jars are shelf stable and can be kept for 12-18 months before quality begins to degrade. Unsealed jars should be put in the fridge and consumed promptly.
Canning Berries for Juice
- Using quart jars, add 1 ½ to 1 ¾ raw berries to each jar. If using frozen berries, let them thaw first. Then add ¼ to ½ cups sugar to each jar. If using smaller jars, see note below for measurements of berries and sugar.
- Prepare a water bath canner by pre-heating it and bringing the water to a near-simmer.
- With a kettle or pot, bring water to a boil and pour boiling water over cranberries and sugar, filling jars to ½ inch headspace.
- Wipe rims with a paper towel wetted with white vinegar and attach two-part lids to fingertip tightness.
- Process in a water bath canner for 25 minutes. If in altitudes above 1,000 feet, process for 30 minutes (1,000 to 6,000 feet), or for 35 minutes (over 6,000 feet).
- Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Carefully remove jars from canner and let sit on a thick towel on a counter or table overnight. In the morning, check that jars have sealed. Sealed jars are shelf stable and can be kept for 12-18 months before quality begins to degrade. Allow jars to sit for 4-6 weeks to allow the berries to infuse the sugar water with juice. Unsealed jars should be put in the fridge and consumed promptly, though they will not have much flavour since they won’t have the 4-6 weeks to infuse flavour.
I love the pic in the snow so much! So glad it turned out 🙂