Cranberry Juice
Making and canning your own cranberry juice is not only cost-effective, but it allows you to control the amount of sugar and concentration of 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.
Notes
If using pint jars for the “canning berries” method, use about ¾ berries and ⅛ to ¼ cups sugar.