Bottling Juice and Making Cordials
Ok ok, I have apples on the brain and thinking of 11.2million ways to use them is a pain. However, bottling juice was one of those game changers for us. We tried freezing, but generally ran out of space before we hit the bottom of the apple barrow.
in order to make juice of any kind shelf stable, it needs to be pasteurised. Once that is done, it can be stored for up to 2 years!!
Pasteurisation is a straight-forward process which simply involves carefully heating the juice to 165F/75°C and holding it at that temperature for 20 minutes. this process kills of the bacteria that ferments the juice and helps stop it from spoiling. It shouldn’t effect the flavour of your juice either.
You can pasteurise the juice on the hob. It does take a watchful eye as the temp needs to be held steady. You can also buy a a purpose-built pasteuriser.
To pasteurize juice:
sterilse your bottles (we like clip top bottles for this)
pour in your fresh juice
place in a water bath canner
heat to 75c and retain the temp for 20 minutes
Store in a cool place.
if you don’t have enough fruit to make juice, you can always make a cordial with your fruit.
Basic Fruit Cordial Recipe:
Equal weights fruit and sugar
1Tablespoon of lemon juice for every 500ml of juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
Instructions:
Place equal weights of fruit and sugar in a pan, add a bit of water to help the fruit break down
simmer on a low heat until the fruit has softened.
Strain the juice into bottles with metal lids. Clip top is OK too, Be sure to leave about 1inch of head space. Add the lemon juice before sealing.
Process in a water bath canner, boiling for 20 minutes.
You can use citric acid as a preservative as well. It works well, but I find leaves a significant sour taste in the drink.
Basic Blossom Cordial Recipe
Equal Weights Water and Sugar
Blossoms for flavouring (I add about 10% the weight of sugar in blossoms, so if I am using 100g of sugar and 100g of water, I use 10g of blossoms)
1Tablespoon of lemon juice for every 500ml of juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
Instructions:
Place equal weights of water and sugar in a pan.
Simmer on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved
Pour the hot syrup over the blossoms. Leave to infuse overnight.
Strain the juice into bottles with metal lids. . Clip top is OK too, Be sure to leave about 1inch of head space. Add the lemon juice before sealing.
Process in a water bath canner, boiling for 20 minutes.
