Canning Cranberry Juice

It's no surprise that despite making cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas, several quick breads with cranberries, and even fruit leather, we still ended up with several bags of berries. 

If you still have cranberries in the refrigerator or you haven't had your fill of this seasonal superfood, it's not too late to pick them up at the store for a fair price. Preserve them now and you'll be enjoying cranberry juice during the spring and summer months. Think....refreshing beverages and cocktails! I love a splash of cranberry juice with seltzer and lime, and one of my husband's favorites is vodka with cranberry.

So, with our remaining cranberries, I decided to make cranberry juice, and using the dehydrator, "craisins." For the purpose of this blog, let's focus on making cranberry juice. It's so easy and if you really enjoy a good juice that isn't expensive or full of corn sweeteners, then making your own is worthwhile. 

There are two methods for making cranberry juice. The first method involves cooking and pressing the berries first to extract the juice before canning it. The second method is quicker when it comes to preparation, but requires a couple of months on the shelf to allow extraction to occur. I've included both methods. Since I was in no rush to have cranberry juice, and my goal was simply to preserve them, I opted for the simpler route.

If you prefer to cook the berries first, then you will need about one quart of water per 12 ounce bag of cranberries. Simply combine them in a stock pot and bring them to a simmer. The cranberries will split and pop open after about 10 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth. You can add more water if you decide to reuse the pulp for a second extraction. The first extraction will be concentrated. When you are satisfied with the amount and flavor, add sugar to your taste. Bring back up to between 180F and 190F. You want to dissolve the sugar but not cook the liquid. You will end up with jelly if you're not careful. Pour into hot jars, leaving 1/4" head space, and water bath 10 minutes for pints and quarts.

As I mentioned, I chose to let time do the work. Over the next two months, the juice will extract naturally from the cranberries.

I filled 2-quart mason jars with three cups of washed cranberries and a 1/4 cup of sugar. (You can add more sugar, but a 1/4 cup is the minimum amount in order to extract juice from the berries.) Then, I poured boiling water over them, leaving 1/4" headspace in each jar. The jars were water bathed for 20 minutes, and now sit in the pantry.  

If you're like me, then you may be thinking about other juices that you enjoy, but resist buying for their large sugar amounts and/or unreasonable prices. With knowledge of these two simple processes, whole worlds begin to open up; I am thinking about grape juice next! WAIT! Grape-Cranberry!