Homemade grape juice from grapes from your own garden is a delicacy. Unfortunately, not-from-concentrate juice spoils very quickly and must therefore be consumed quickly. However, it can be preserved with simple means and made durable for months.

Grape juice is delicious and healthy, but has a very short shelf life

Pasteurize grape juice

The pioneer of microbiology, Louis Pasteur, discovered that germs can no longer penetrate a closed vessel whose contents are heated to over seventy degrees for some time. This process also prevents the fermentation that would turn the grape juice into wine.

Awaken grape juice

For this you need the following utensils:

  • Bottles with a wide mouth, lid and rubber ring or bottles with a rubber cap and wire clip
  • preserving machine
  • funnel

Method:

  1. Sterilize bottles in boiling water for ten minutes.
  2. Fill the obtained juice into the bottles with the funnel (4.85€).
  3. Seal and place on the grid of the preserving machine. The vessels must not touch each other.
  4. Pour in enough water so that at least half of the food is in it.
  5. Preserve at 90 degrees for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove with a glass spoon and let cool.

Alternatively, you can use the oven to boil down the grape juice:

  1. Place the filled, capped juice bottles in a roasting pan.
  2. Pour two inches of water and put the bottles in the oven.
  3. Heat up to 180 degrees.
  4. As soon as small bubbles rise in the vessels, switch off and leave in the tube for another 30 minutes.
  5. Take out, let cool.

Pasteurize grape juice in the open bottle

You can heat grape juice in the open bottle and thus preserve it. The prerequisite is the use of bottles with a twist-off cap:

  1. Pour the juice into the bottles, leaving a rim of three centimeters wide.
  2. Place the juice, unsealed, on the grid of the preserving machine.
  3. Pour in water until the vessels are halfway in the water bath.
  4. Heat to 72 degrees. Check the temperature with a good thermometer and keep it for twenty minutes.
  5. Take out the juice bottles and close them immediately.
  6. Allow to cool and check if a vacuum has formed.

tips

Work very cleanly when making the juice so that no germs get into the juice. It is important to use only good fruit for juicing, remove the stems before juicing, and sterilize the bottles and lids thoroughly.

Category:

Vegetable garden