http://durgan.org/2016/July%202016/10%20July%202016%20Black%20Currants/HTML/ 10 July 2016 Black Currants (Picking an Juicing) Three pounds of fruit from one black currant bush was made into three liters of pressure canned juice. This is one pound of berries to one liter of added water. Procedure was wash, cook until soft, blend into a slurry, screen, and place in liter jars, pressure can at 15 PSI for 15 minutes. There is very little residue from the screening. The method of picking was to make a mesh over a container and swipe it along the branch to collect the berries. Currant berries do not fall off, they have to be removed. Cleaning is by covering in water and removing the debris and then hand picking the remaining residue. There is one more bush to harvest, which will be left about a week to further ripen the fruit. Currant juice is very pleasant.
http://durgan.org/2016/July%202016/12%20July%202016%20Black%20Currant/HTML/ 12 July 2016 Black Currant (Juice) Four liters of pressure canned juice was made from berries picked from my second black currant bush. A liter of berries makes one liter of juice. Swiping the berry laden branch across a mesh screen was the picking method used. Processing was add one liter of water for each pound of berries, cook until soft, blend into a slurry, screen through a food mill 2 mm mesh screen, place in liter jars and pressure can at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for long term storage at room temperature.
I've been juicing with a steam extractor for a couple of years now and I'm consistently impressed with the yield, quality of juice and ease of processing. While not inexpensive, the steam extractor quickly pays for itself. I've done blackberries, raspberries, black currants, gooseberries, evergreen huckleberries, both green and Concord grapes as well tomatoes this way. I drink the juice, make delightful cocktails, process into jelly etc.
I started with the steam extractor but discarded it for the slurry system in the belief that there was more utilization of the material. I now do all using the hand blender and slurry method. If there is much residue I also put it through a Champion Juicer, a gift I didn't buy it. I juice most fruit and vegetables. I grow many plants and buy locally what is not grown. I have around 500 or 600 liter jars now prepared for the 2016 season. My garden growth is almost finished for the 2016 season. Now I am experimenting on dehydrating to determine if it has any merit in my case. I don't fuss with it much and basically slurry all and sundry for simplicity. I am practically self sufficient in plant food.
