If you have your own apple trees, you can look forward to a rich harvest. Not all apple varieties can be stored. So it's a good idea to make your own apple juice. However, straight juice only lasts for a few days. Therefore the juice must be additionally preserved. You can find out how to do this in this article.
How can you preserve apple juice?
You can preserve apple juice by heating it to 90 degrees, pouring it into sterilized bottles and sealing it airtight. Alternatively, you can pasteurize or freeze the juice to extend shelf life and preserve nutrients.
Juicing fruits
The easiest way to get larger amounts of juice is to use a juicer. This can be used to produce one liter of juice from around two kilos of washed, cored and damaged fruit.
Preserving apple juice
To do this, you first need the right container for the self-squeezed juice. Well suited are:
- Wide-hold disposable bottles with twist-off cap,
- Weck juice bottles with a glass lid that is attached to a rubber ring with a clip,
- Glass bottles with rubber cap,
- Glass bottles with swing tops.
It is important that you clean the bottles thoroughly before filling them. You can sterilize them lying down in the oven at 120 degrees. This should be done shortly before filling so that no more bacteria can settle.
- Put the apple juice in a pot and heat it to 90 degrees. Check the temperature with a thermometer. The juice should under no circumstances boil, otherwise the vitamins will be destroyed.
- Fill the juice into the bottles through a funnel to just below the cap.
- Close the juice bottles and turn them upside down.
- Turn cooled bottles over and check whether they are really sealed airtight.
Store the juice in a cool, dark room. The fruit juice lasts up to a year here.
Pasteurization in the bottle
Heating after decanting: Bottles with twist-off lids or crown caps should be used. The containers are placed in a large pot, which you fill halfway with water. Pour in juice using a funnel. Heat water to 80 degrees, constantly checking the temperature. After 20 minutes you can remove and close the juice bottles.
Pasteurizing the already sealed bottles: Use bottles with rubber caps and wire clips for this. Alternatively, mason jars with lids and rubber rings are suitable. The juice is first filled into the vessels. Clean the rim thoroughly, close the bottles and heat them to 80 degrees for 30 minutes.
Freeze apple juice
You can preserve straight juice by freezing it. This means that all nutrients and vitamins are preserved. Pour the apple juice into sturdy freezer bags, plastic containers or ice cube makers. The latter have the advantage that you can remove the preserved juice in portions. Thawed in mineral water, the frozen juice makes a refreshing drink.
Tip
If you use a steam juicer, you don't have to boil it additionally, you can fill it directly into the bottles. These are then sealed airtight. Turn upside down, allow to cool and store in a dark, cool room.
