Steam-Juicing Results

[smokegrub]

Finished steam-juicing some blackberries, plums and cherries. Results:

24 quarts blackberry juice
18 quarts plum juice
8 quarts cherry juice

All are in sealed canning jars and will be used to start wines this winter.

Next up, elderberries and apples. Perhaps a few pears.

 

[IQwine]

you've been hard at it....

 

[Tom]

Finished steam-juicing some blackberries, plums and cherries. Results:

24 quarts blackberry juice
18 quarts plum juice
8 quarts cherry juice

All are in sealed canning jars and will be used to start wines this winter.

Next up, elderberries and apples. Perhaps a few pears.

And how many pounds of each did you juice?

 

[Waldo]

You got it going on grub..when does the wine making begin?

 

[pelican]

Sounds like you'll have lots of options for the wine then! Mmmmm.....

 

[smokegrub]

Blackberries 60 lb (less juicy than last year)
Cherries 23 lb
Plums 37 lb

Will start these during the cold winter months when I have little to do.

I have done several blackberry wines but no cherry and no plum.

 

[Cracked Cork]

Grub, when you steam your elderberries, do you remove the stems first? Crackedcork

 

[smokegrub]

This will be the first time I have ever used elderberries. You are the elderberry expert--what do you recommend?

 

[Cracked Cork]

Grub, give me another decade or two before the expert shows up. We have been picking them off by hand, but we wanted to try to steam some that were frozen and then shaken off, the big stems sorted out and then steamed to see if there is any taste difference, if there isnt freezing is a whole lot easier. Crackedcork

 

[smokegrub]

Thanks for the feedback, Cracked. I have never picked an elderberry before so this is going to be an entirely new experience for me.

 

[Cracked Cork]

Grub, just make sure t hey are ripe, just like any other fruit. My fingers are purple, I cleaned them good but purple they are going to be, but its a good purple. Crackedcork

 

[Tom]

Grub, just make sure t hey are ripe, just like any other fruit. My fingers are purple, I cleaned them good but purple they are going to be, but its a good purple. Crackedcork

Yea, I'll second that. I have been getting "over ripe" fruit. This is the fruit that you will never see in the store. I find its the best (juicy) for us winemakers.

 

[smokegrub]

Thanks.

 

[Winefarmer1]

I too have been hard after the elderberries, a complete unknown until about three weeks ago. Here in Georgia they were very difficult for me to find, taking three days and over a tank of gasoline to run the farm roads. The end result was 2 1/2 gallon bags of destemed berries. I hope it is enough for a five gallon batch.


Started 5 gallons of paw paw wine this week also.

 

[Tom]

WINEFARMER.
I doubt that 2- 1/2 gallon bags world even do a 1 gallon batch. Think of using 4-5 pounds per gallon.

 

[Winefarmer1]

Thanks Tepe. I had already weighed them this morning. They came in at around 5.5 pounds per gallon. I actually have 2 1/2 gallons. The Keller recipe calls for 2 pounds per gallon. Is about 13 pounds going to be enough with that recipe?

 

[Tom]

There are alot of us fruit wine makers who would never use his recipes. There is no flavor or body in them. Most are sent to him and are not his. You will notice all here who DO make fruit wine will use 5-6# per gallon and use a f-pac. That will give better body and color, mouthfeel.
So, depending on what you have or can get this is what I and others would do.
Hope this clears it up.

 

[Winefarmer1]

Tepe,
That makes sense from my own meager experience. The best wine I have produced from my few batches including blueberry, plum, peach, mayhaw, mango, pawpaw, and elderberry is by far the mayhaw which started with about 30 pounds of berries. I have used a modified Jack Keller recipe on all of my wines, so in view of your comment I have great expectations for improved future editions. The blueberry was second, and the peach is yet unfinished, but tastes very good in its infancy.


Almost all my efforts started with about 3 pounds of steamed fruit per gallon.

 

[Tom]

Tepe,
That makes sense from my own meager experience. The best wine I have produced from my few batches including blueberry, plum, peach, mayhaw, mango, pawpaw, and elderberry is by far the mayhaw which started with about 30 pounds of berries. I have used a modified Jack Keller recipe on all of my wines, so in view of your comment I have great expectations for improved future editions. The blueberry was second, and the peach is yet unfinished, but tastes very good in its infancy.


Almost all my efforts started with about 3 pounds of steamed fruit per gallon.

Don't forget to add the "pulp" in a straining bag in the primary too.