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Anyone else here who has elderberry bushes and who pick them and process them for their juice? Just curious how other people do it.....thinking there must be a less time-consuming/labor-intensive way of doing it than the way I do it.
I cut the clusters off the bushes and collect them in a 5 gallon plastic bucket. Then I wash them and then sit myself down and get comfortable for the time-consuming job of picking them off their fragile, filament-like stems, trying to get just berries into the bowl. Several hours later, when I have about 5-6 inches of berries into a large pot, I add about a quart of water and set the pot on the stove over med-low and let them steam/simmer for about an hour. Then I smash them with a kraut pounder to smash the rest of the juice out of them. Next I strain through a colander to get the skins and seeds out. Then I strain through a mesh strainer to remove as much pulp as possible. Then I strain through about 6 layers of cheesecloth to remove even more pulp. Then I strain through muslin to get juice that will be as clear as possible. Even one batch of berries can take all day--or even more than one day.
Does anyone have a better way? Other than buying a juice extractor?
Does anyone have a better way? Other than buying a juice extractor?
Nope! I have made juice both ways. The juice extractor is WELL worth the money when it comes to berries, plums, and grapes. There is a big difference in the juice and when you make it into jellies.
I don't know if it would work but I used to have a juicer/steamer. I don't think it's the same as a juice extractor. The bottom holds water to boil and make steam. The second layer catches the juice and has an nipple to put a small hose on for easy juice bottling. The top layer is a steaming basket for the fruit. It makes quite a bit of high quality juice. A friend of mine borrowed it for her grapes and didn't want to give it back.
I don't know if it would work but I used to have a juicer/steamer. I don't think it's the same as a juice extractor. The bottom holds water to boil and make steam. The second layer catches the juice and has an nipple to put a small hose on for easy juice bottling. The top layer is a steaming basket for the fruit. It makes quite a bit of high quality juice. A friend of mine borrowed it for her grapes and didn't want to give it back.
That is what I have used. A friend of mine bought it and we get together and have juice parties, lol. We have all bought different high end items to process foods, so we get together and share what we have. Its always more fun to process stuff with a few friends.
Thanks for the responses. I have put "juice extractor" on my list of "kitchen appliances I must have". I am still processing elderberries after more than a week and expect to finish up next day or two. Thanks, too, Phawk57 and Inthesierras, for steering me to the steam juice extractor. I had been intending to ask which is the best kind since there are so many to choose from. I checked Amazon and they have one for around $80.
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I put the clusters in a paper bag, and shake the crap out of them. Open the bag, and pull out the empty stems.
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