So I have so many 5 lb bags of chokecherries in the freezer that I finally bought a steam juicer on Amazon.
I have always processed chokecherries in the same way my grandmother did it: Fill the stock pot half full, add water until it was about 1" below the height of the chokecherries, just so you can barely see the water. Cook gently for about 10-15 minutes until skins break. Put everything into a muslin bag & hang overnight to extract the juice. No mashing, squeezing, just draining. 5 lbs of chokecherries this method yields not quite a quart of juice.
So on Saturday I processed 15 lbs of chokecherries in the steam juicer in about 4 hours. 15 pounds gave 4 & 1/2 quarts of juice, much better yield, and faster. The clarity of the juice is about the same, more or less. I canned the juice and am planning to let it settle out before using for jelly, wine, or cordial.
Of course the steaming ruins the pectin in the chokecherries, but for jelly it is always a hit-and-miss proposition anyway.
For the wine I have always used 3-5 lbs per gallon whole chokecherries in a mesh bag to make a must & added water.
So the question is, how many quarts of juice per gallon for wine? There is no added water in this juice. Anyone have any ideas?
I have always processed chokecherries in the same way my grandmother did it: Fill the stock pot half full, add water until it was about 1" below the height of the chokecherries, just so you can barely see the water. Cook gently for about 10-15 minutes until skins break. Put everything into a muslin bag & hang overnight to extract the juice. No mashing, squeezing, just draining. 5 lbs of chokecherries this method yields not quite a quart of juice.
So on Saturday I processed 15 lbs of chokecherries in the steam juicer in about 4 hours. 15 pounds gave 4 & 1/2 quarts of juice, much better yield, and faster. The clarity of the juice is about the same, more or less. I canned the juice and am planning to let it settle out before using for jelly, wine, or cordial.
Of course the steaming ruins the pectin in the chokecherries, but for jelly it is always a hit-and-miss proposition anyway.
For the wine I have always used 3-5 lbs per gallon whole chokecherries in a mesh bag to make a must & added water.
So the question is, how many quarts of juice per gallon for wine? There is no added water in this juice. Anyone have any ideas?