Canning Berry Juice

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Canning Berry Juice is a simple way to pack a lot of berry flavor into a jar, and it’s the perfect way to quickly put up a bumper crop of summer berries.

Sometimes in the peak of summer, the crops come in faster than you can get them put up, but it’s a shame to let fresh fruit go to waste.  Sure, you can pop berries into the freezer, but you only have so much freezer space.

Canning berry juice is an incredible way to preserve the flavor (and nutrition) of fresh summer berries, but without taking up a lot of space.  It’s also quick and easy, which is perfect for the busy summer season.

This tested recipe for canning berry juice works with all manner of soft summer fruits, including:

• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Currants
• Dewberries
• Gooseberries
• Huckleberries
• Loganberries
• Mulberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Elderberries aren’t quite acidic enough for safe canning of the juice without added acidity.  For elderberries, you’ll need to add 1/2 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per cup of juice (or a full tablespoon per pint).  You can also add 1 teaspoon of citric acid to every 8 cups of juice (or 1/8th tsp per pint).

Making Berry Juice

If you happen to have a countertop juicer, you could use that, but I don’t think they extract quite as much depth of flavor as when you use the stovetop (or a steam juicer).  The main benefit to that type of juicer is that it keeps the juice raw, but we’re canning here…so it’s not necessary.

Start by preparing the fruit.  If there are tops (as with strawberries) remove them, and remove any stems or other foreign material.  Place the fruit in a saucepan with a bit of water. 

Generally, you want about 1/2 cup of water per quart of berries.

Simmer the berries, mashing them occasionally with a potato masher, until they’ve released their juice and completely fallen apart.  This happens quickly, and you should only cook them for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Be careful not to cook them too long, especially with high pectin fruit.  You’ll quickly make jam with currants and gooseberries, so I’d suggest starting with double the water for those and only cooking those for about 5 minutes (vigorously mashing as you go).

With lower pectin berries, like strawberries, you have a bit more leeway in cook times.

Strain the pulp through a jelly bag, or a fine-mesh strainer lined with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth.

I tend to use a steam juicer whenever possible, really anytime I’m making more than a few cups of juice.  It saves the trouble (and mess) of straining through cheesecloth.  It also doesn’t activate the pectin like simmering in a pot would, so it’s really the best option for high pectin fruits (like currants, gooseberries, and wild blackberries).

Even with low pectin fruits though, it’s the most efficient method.

Berry Juice Yield

As a general rule, it takes about 2 to 4 cups of most berries (plus 1/2 cup water) to make a cup of juice extracted on the stovetop using the method outlined above.  You can get a slightly better yield, and with less mess, if you use a steam juicer.

Freezing the fruit before juicing also helps increase yield, as freezing breaks down the pectin and pops cell walls.

The Ball Book of Home Canning has a bit more guidance on exact yields based on the berry, and it actually gives them as part of its “berry jelly” recipe on page 106.  Extracting a specific amount of juice is the first step to making berry jelly, so that makes sense.

When simply canning juice, exact yields are less important because you just can whatever you get.  Still, it’s nice to be able to plan ahead.

For each cup of juice, you’ll need the following amounts of fruit:

• Blackberries ~ 2 1/2 cups of berries
• Blueberries ~ 2 to 3 cups of berries (they’re highly variable in terms of juice)
• Elderberries ~ 1 pound stemmed fruit **Not Acidic Enough for Canning without Added Lemon Juice
• Raspberries ~ 3 to 3 1/2 cups of berries
• Strawberries ~ 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups chopped fruit (from 1 quart fresh)
• Currants (red or black) ~ 1 pound stemmed fruit, red yield more juice

There is a lot of variation depending on grown conditions, but this gives you a general idea.

Canning Berry Juice

Now that you have your berry juice filtered and ready to go, it’s time for canning.  If you’re not familiar with canning, please read my beginner’s guide to water bath canning before beginning.

These canning instructions for strawberry juice come from the “Canning Berry Juice” recipe on page 189 of The Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  You can use this same recipe with any berry juice, including blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.

They suggest, “For average sweetness, add 1 to 2 cups (250 to 500 ml) of sugar for each 16 cups (4 L) of juice.”

Adding sugar is completely optional, but as you can see it amounts to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per quart of juice or 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of juice.  I don’t add sugar to most types of juice, and I tend to sweeten when I use them if necessary.

(Personally, I only think sugar is really necessary with very tart fruits, like gooseberries, currants, and maybe very tart raspberries.)

Start by preparing a water bath canner, along with jars, lids, and rings.  The canner should be barely simmering (180 F) for a hot pack.

Heat the strained juice to about 190 degrees F over medium-high heat, but do not boil.  Turn down the heat to low and keep the juice at 190 F for 5 minutes.  Add sugar if using, and stir to dissolve.

Ladle the hot juice into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Apply canning lids and screw-on rings to finger tight.

Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes for half-pints, pints, and quarts.  Above 6,000 feet in elevation, increase canning time to 20 minutes.

After the canning time has completed, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water to cool slightly for 5 more minutes (to help prevent siphoning), then use a jar lifter to remove the jars to cool on a towel on the counter.

Check seals after 24 hours and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.  Properly canned and sealed jars of strawberry juice will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for 18+ months.  Refrigerate after opening.

Using Berry Pulp

I found that often the berry pulp is still quite flavorful even after the juice is extracted, and it seems like a shame to just toss it.  (This is less often the case when you use a steam juicer, they get every last bit of flavor out of the fruit much more efficiently.) 

You can do a second extraction if you’d like, just add a bit more water and simmer again, and then strain. 

You can also use the leftover pulp to make a berry jam, though I’d suggest using no more than half pulp in any recipe, and use fresh fruit for the other half.  My mixed berry jam recipe works really well with leftover berry pulp, just use it in place of half of the fresh fruit.

Ways to Preserve Berries

Looking for more ways to preserve fresh summer berries?

• Canning Gooseberries
• Canning Raspberries

Yield: Yield Varies

Canning Berry Juice

Canning berry juice is an easy way to preserve summer fruit quickly, and it makes for delicious drinks year round.

Print

Ingredients

• Fresh Berries
• Water
• Sugar (optional)

Instructions

Extracting Berry Juice

1. Prepare fruit by washing and stemming (or hulling strawberries).
2. Place the fruit in a pot with a small amount of water. It's usually about 1/2 cup water for every 2 to 4 cups fruit, but see recommendations below based on the specific type of fruit.
3. Bring the fruit and water to a simmer over medium heat and cook, mashing frequently with a potato masher, until they've completely fallen apart and released their juice (about 5 to 10 minutes).
4. Strain through a jelly bag or a fine-mesh strainer lined with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth.

Canning Berry Juice

1. Start by preparing a water bath canner, along with jars, lids, and rings.  The canner should be barely simmering (180 F) for a hot pack.
2. Heat the strained juice to about 190 degrees F over medium-high heat, but do not boil.  Turn down the heat to low and keep the juice at 190 F for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir to dissolve (if using).
3. Ladle the hot juice into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Apply canning lids and screw-on rings to finger tight.
4. Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes for half-pints, pints, and quarts.  Above 6,000feet in elevation, increase canning time to 20 minutes.
5. After the canning time has completed, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water to cool slightly for 5 more minutes (to help prevent siphoning), then use a jar lifter to remove the jars to cool on a towel on the counter.
6. Check seals after 24 hours and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.  Properly canned and sealed jars of strawberry juice will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for 18+ months.  Refrigerate after opening.

Notes

Berry Types

This tested recipe for canning berry juice works with all manner of soft summer fruits, including:

• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Currants
• Dewberries
• Gooseberries
• Huckleberries
• Loganberries
• Mulberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Elderberries aren't quite acidic enough for safe canning of the juice without added acidity.  For elderberries, you'll need to add 1/2 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice per cup of juice (or a full tablespoon per pint).  You can also add 1 teaspoon of citric acid to every 8 cups of juice (or 1/8th tsp per pint).

Yield Estimates

For each cup of juice yield, you'll need the following amounts of fruit mixed with 1/2 cup of water:

• Blackberries ~ 2 1/2 cups of berries
• Blueberries ~ 2 to 3 cups of berries (they're highly variable in terms of juice)
• Elderberries ~ 1 pound stemmed fruit
• Raspberries ~ 3 to 3 1/2 cups of berries
• Strawberries ~ 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups chopped fruit (from 1 quart fresh)
• Currants (red or black) ~ 1 pound stemmed fruit

Sugar

Adding sugar is optional, and not necessary for safe canning. In general, the recommendation is about 1/4 to 1/2 cup per quart of juice or 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of juice.  I don't add sugar to most types of juice, and I tend to sweeten when I use them if necessary.

(Personally, I only think sugar is really necessary with very tart fruits, like gooseberries, currants, and maybe very tart raspberries.)