[Jerry1]

Gonna try this tomorrow for 1st time. I have pears. Fresh picked today. About 19 gallons. Do not have enough room in the freezer so I'm going to forgo that step.. Thought process is to scrub them good, quarter and cut out the core. Don't plan on peeling. Also have plums, cheeriesand blackberries in the freezer. If I understand this process correctly all I have to do isput the fruit in the steamer,put the juice in aglass jar and put this through a hot bath for 10 minutes. Am I missing anything?

[Bert]

Be sure to keep water in the lower pot....do not boil dry..having an extra pot of boiling water on hand helps a lot...lower pot usually last about 1 1/2 hrs.....I usually steam each batch from 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. [will depend on the fruit] ...if you have hard water, it will leave a film in your boiling pot...to clean I add two packs of lemon-lime unsweetened kool-aid to a near full pot of water...bring to a boil and let it set a bit, drain and boiling pot comes out very clean...hope this helps..GOOD LUCK

[Waldo]

I add about a cup of sugar to each batch I am juicing which aids in the extraction. I also pour aboutthe first quart of juice back over the fruit in the steamer which helps in the extraction.
Bert is "right on" about not letting your pot run out of water. I did on my first steamerand ruined my boiling pot and had to replace it. I also modified my next one to aid in the addition of water when needed without having to lift off the rest of the steamer. I think the picture following will explain it well enough

[Brewgrrrl]

Waldo! That is awesome.

[gaudet]

100% agreed with Waldo and Bert. If you haven't done your juicing run already I would suggest getting rid of the freezer stuff first to freeze some of those pears, as it will maximize your juice yield.

For hard water stains in the boiling pot, I use Barkeepers friend, works great and you can use it on your other stainless steel pots and pans and and surfaces to make your SS sparkle brightly....

[Cracked Cork]

I forget who had mentioned the idea at first but one clever member puts marbles in her steamer bottom, they jiggle around while it has water in it, if they stop jiggling you are in trouble and need to add water NOW. CC

[Tom]

I like that idea. Do you do that?

[Jerry1]

I've taken gaudets advice and I have steamed the plums. From 15 lbs I got6 3/4quarts of juice. I'll set out the cherries tonight and do them in the AM. Would have thought 15 lbs of plums would have given more juice. Fifteen pounds is suppose to make 3 gallons, right?


Got to get the pears ready for the freezer.


Jerry

[gaudet]

So you got almost 7 quarts of juice out of 15 pounds of plums. I'd say that's a pretty good yield, but I have never juiced plumbs before. I would use 6 quarts of juice for 3 gallons of wine. Thats 50% of your wine as pure juice. You will have to add some sugar to it to get your starting gravity up to about 1.080

I would take your juice and add water to 3 gallons to get the gravity of your solution. Then you would just need to figure out how much sugar to add. To add your sugar, I would take 2-3 quarts of your must and add it to your boiling pot along with the sugar and heat it up to dissolve the sugar, no need to boil it, but it wouldn't hurt. Then add it back to your fermenter, with pectic enzyme and your prescribed K-meta (1/8 tsp or 3 campden tablets) and cover for 24 hours. Then pitch away with your yeast.

Save that last 3/4 quart for if you need a F-pack.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by gaudet

So you got almost 7 quarts of juice out of 15 pounds of plums. I'd say that's a pretty good yield, but I have never juiced plumbs before. I would use 6 quarts of juice for 3 gallons of wine. Thats 50% of your wine as pure juice. You will have to add some sugar to it to get your starting gravity up to about 1.080

I would take your juice and add water to 3 gallons to get the gravity of your solution. Then you would just need to figure out how much sugar to add. To add your sugar, I would take 2-3 quarts of your must and add it to your boiling pot along with the sugar and heat it up to dissolve the sugar, no need to boil it, but it wouldn't hurt. Then add it back to your fermenter, with pectic enzyme and your prescribed K-meta (1/8 tsp or 3 campden tablets) and cover for 24 hours. Then pitch away with your yeast.

Save that last 3/4 quart for if you need a F-pack.

DITTO !