If you’re buying fresh cranberries for Thanksgiving, consider stocking up.
In addition to sauces, it’s also easy to make cranberry juice yourself with just berries, water, sugar and a basic water bath canning setup.
Doing so at home preserves a Maine fall flavor so you can enjoy the health benefits without other juices or additives. If you make it soon, you can enjoy it at holiday celebrations.
Cranberry consumption can help your body fight infection while providing antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, among other benefits, according to the National Institute of Health. The berries are also very acidic, meaning they can be canned with a simple water bath method instead of pressure canning.
There are two simple methods to turn them into canned juice. For both, start by washing the berries and removing any that look discolored, wrinkled or soft.
Option one combines water and whole cranberries with sugar. This type of preserving is called “raw pack,” meaning the fruits aren’t cooked first.
Raw pack juice isn’t as common in conventional canning, but it has worked for Maine homesteaders, including Kay Hightower of Bog Garden Homestead in Searsport.
She loves using cranberries in season, she said, and tried the juice from an online recipe. She’s also working on a canned sauce recipe.
For this method, put two parts cranberries and one part sugar in hot jars, then add boiling water, leaving an inch of space at the top of the jar. Follow standard water bath canning procedure from there for 15 to 25 minutes (recipes vary on this timing).
You can adjust the quantities if you want it very strong or very sweet; Hightower used a cup of cranberries and a half cup of sugar in quart jars. It was ready to go in two weeks, and sweet enough that she needed to dilute it.
You can also make juice by combining equal parts cranberries and water, bringing to a boil over medium-high heat, reducing heat and boiling gently until the cranberries start to burst, about five minutes. Then, transfer the berries to a strainer lined with damp cheesecloth and let drip for at least two hours while you prepare the water bath canning setup.
If you don’t want berry sediment in the juice, you can let it settle for a day or two in the fridge.
When ready to can, put the juice in a stainless steel saucepan and heat it to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping it at that temperature for five minutes. If you want to add sugar, stir it in here.
Ladle juice into jars, leaving a quarter of an inch of space at the top, then wipe the jar rims and screw the lids on tight. Put them in the water bath, making sure they’re covered, and boil for 25 minutes.
After you drink the juice, you can dehydrate them to use as a garnish or sandwich addition, Hightower suggests.
Juice is best stored in a cool, dark place and used within a year. Be sure to do your research about safe canning, follow recipes you trust, and don’t eat anything canned if it smells, tastes or looks wrong.
