Homemade Cherry Juice Food

HOMEMADE CHERRY JUICE RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash and sort your cherries, no need to pit or remove stems. I do like to pick out the ones that are rotten and any leaves that might get mixed in.
• Get the steam juicer washed and set up according to instructions. Fill the hopper with your cherries. If you are using more than one type, mix them as you add them to get a more consistent juice flavor.
• Let them steam for an hour, making sure the bottom of the steamer doesn't run out of water. The hopper full of cherries produces about four quarts of juice. If you have more cherries to do, throw out (compost or feed it to your chickens) the steamed cherries before doing your next batch.
• Process the juice in a hot water bath for 15 minutes (for quarts) for us high elevations and 10 minutes for you low-lyers.

SPARKLING CHERRY JUICE

Steps:

• Place the cherries in a saucepan off the stove, pour the sugar over the top and let them sit for 2 hours. Add the water, and stir to mix the cherries, sugar and water together until the sugar dissolves.
• Bring the cherry mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain liquid into another pan, pressing cherries with a spoon to extract all the liquid, and discard the cherries. Simmer the liquid over low heat until it is syrupy and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour syrup in a jar and store in the refrigerator.
• To serve, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of syrup in each glass, fill glasses with chilled sparkling water and stir to mix.

CHERRY JELLY

Steps:

• TO MAKE JUICE:
• Select fully ripe cherries.
• Softly wash. Remove stems. Do not pit!
• In large pot, crush cherries (I use a potato masher.).
• Add 1 cup water to crushed cherries.
• Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Strain juice through a jelly bag or cheesecloth. (I use a fine mesh "sifter" lined with a coffee filter.).
• Toss pits, pulp, and peels.
• TO MAKE JELLY:
• Measure 3 1/2 cups juice into large pot.
• Add pectin and stir.
• Place on high heat and stir constantly.
• Bring to a full rolling boil (that can't be stirred down).
• Add sugar, continue stirring and bring to a full rolling boil once more.
• Boil hard for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat.
• Skim off foam.
• Ladle into hot jelly jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Apply lids and rings.
• Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes.
• Note: I used 1 gallon of cherries and had a little more than 3 1/2 cups juice. Of course, it also depends on the quality of the fruit.

HOW TO MAKE CHOKECHERRY JUICE

Steps:

• Begin by removing stems and washing your chokecherries.
• Combine the chokecherries and water in a large kettle.
• Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
• Let the cherries cool; then pour them into an old, clean T-shirt or pillowcase set in a large bowl or pan. (This apparatus may then be suspended over the pan for several hours to allow as much of the juice as possible to drip out. It's ok to help the process along by squeezing the T-shirt or pillowcase. The remains (pits and pulp) can then be thrown away.)
• One pound of berries will yield approximately 1 cup of juice.