If all the talk about arsenic and other chemicals in apple juice scares you and apple juice is the favorite drink of your family you may want to consider making and canning some of your own apple juice. Michigan is blessed with an abundant apple crop and we grow more varieties of apples than any other state. You may have apples in your own yard or have an orchard nearby. And apples are a fall staple in Michigan farm markets. Making your own apple juice will take a little time but it isn’t hard to do.
Apple or cider can last along time without refrigeration but it may turn hard or alcoholic through fermentation. And sometimes even refrigerated and pasteurized apple juice will spoil. Because few of us want to have alcohol in our children’s apple juice and we want to avoid food borne illness homemade apple juice should be canned or frozen. The canned product can sit in the cupboard and not take up freezer space. You’ll need a simple water bath canner and some quart or pint jars with lids to can your own apple juice. You’ll also need some cheesecloth, or an old clean pillowcase, or some large coffee filters and a colander or strainer.
You can make apple juice at any time of the year but fall is ideal because apples are abundant, fresh and cheaper in the fall. The apples don’t need to be perfect, you’ll want to avoid wormy ones but lumpy, scabby ones are fine. A mixture of apple varieties usually makes the best juice or cider. A small percentage of not quite ripe apples can be used but the majority of apples used in juice should be fully ripe.
In some places you can buy organically grown apples if you aren’t growing your own. (Wash these apples before use because they can be contaminated with things other than pesticides.) But conventionally grown apples from Michigan are perfectly safe if washed before using. Michigan does not allow the use of arsenic in pesticides and orchard growers use care in the selection of pesticides they do use.
Using cider to make apple juice
There are two main ways to make apple juice. The easiest way is to start with cold pressed apple cider from a cider mill. This method gives you less control over the juice as you did not select the apples. It will also be more expensive. You may be able to find cider made from organic apples but chances are the apples will be conventionally grown. Cold pressed commercial cider will probably be pasteurized but you will still need to heat and can the final product for storage.
To make apple juice from cider simply let your cider sit in the refrigerator undisturbed for 2 days. Then carefully pour off the clearer fluid from the top of the jugs, leaving as much sediment as you can behind. Strain that clearer juice through a colander lined with cheese cloth or a coffee filter. Each gallon of cider will give you about 3 quarts of strained juice.
Put your strained juice into a pan and bring to boiling. Boil one minute. Then pour hot juice into sterilized jars to a 1/4 inch from the top, add lids and screw bands and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for pint or quart sized jars.
Making heat processed juice
If you want the most control over the apple juice contents or have an abundance of home raised apples to use this is a good method to make juice. Cooking the apples a little makes them yield more juice and you won’t need a mechanical press.
Wash the apples and then chop them in chunks. There is no need to peel or core them. In a large pot combine 1 cup of water for every 3 cups of chopped apples. Cover the pot and let the apples simmer for about 25 minutes or until they are soft. Pour off excess water. You will then need to mash or puree the apples. You can do that in the pot by hand or with an electric beater. Or you can put small amounts at a time in a food processor.
Pour the apple puree through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and collect the juice. If you have a lot of puree you can put it in an old thin pillowcase and suspend that over a collection pot. You can buy what is called a jelly bag for that purpose but it isn’t very large.
Do not press or squeeze the puree through the strainer. Let it drip slowly for several hours. Take your collected juice and bring it to a boil, boil 1 minute, pour into sterilized canning jars to a 1/4 inch from the rim, add lids and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for both quarts and pints.
If you like sweetened apple juice, add sugar to your taste preferences at the stage where you boil the juice just prior to filling the jars. A suggestion is a 1/2 cup sugar to every 3 cups of juice. Do not use artificial sweeteners as they will turn bitter during heating.
Freezing apple juice
After making apple juice in either method above it can be poured into freezer containers instead of canning jars and frozen. If your family likes a lot of apple juice this may not be the method for you as the juice will need a lot of freezer space. The frozen juice may separate a bit as it thaws but will just need to be stirred or shaken before use.
Uses for apple juice
Besides a refreshing, natural drink apple juice can be used to make gelatin, turned into jelly or used as a cooking fluid for meat such as pork, to lend a delightful taste. It can also be blended with more expensive juices. Always refrigerate opened jars or defrosted containers of apple juice and use them within a week.
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