Black Currant Juice to Can or Freeze (For Italian Soda & More)
Turn healthy black currants into a simple low sugar juice concentrate to use in making refreshing drinks like Italian sodas, cocktails, and even healthy cold-fighting drinks.
Servings: 1 quart
Calories: 213kcal
Equipment
- 1 stock pot
- 1 boiling water canner, optional
- 1 bag for straining currants
- 1 stand for straining bag
Ingredients
- 4 cups black currants, stemmed and washed
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
Make Black Currant Juice:
- Combine currants and water in a large pot, bring to a boil (watch so it doesn't boil over), lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes, crushing currants with a potato masher occasionally.
- Pour currant pulp into a jelly bag (or old cotton pillowcase) while holding over a bowl or pot, and place bag in a stand (or tie to a ladder...) over a bowl or pot to catch the juice as it drips out. Let drip until most of the juice is extracted, 30 minutes to an hour, squeezing as needed to get as much as possible (it doesn't matter if the juice is cloudy for this application) towards the end (careful of the hot bag). Measure juice and discard pulp.
- If freezing, let juice cool and transfer to freezer containers and/or ice cube trays to free solid.
To Can Juice:
- While the juice is straining, prepare jars for canning and gather your canning equipment. You will need one quart size or 2 pints for each 4 cup recipe. You can see general boiling water canning steps here.
- Combine extracted juice in a stockpot with the sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a gentle boil (don't let it boil hard), and then ladle immediately into prepared jars leaving 1/4-inch head space.
- Wipe rims, seal, and process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes. Remove lid, turn burner off, and let jars sit in canner 5 minutes.
- Remove jars to a towel-lined counter and let cool completely. Check seals before labeling and storing.
To Make Italian Sodas:
- To a drinking glass with ice, mix one part concentrate with one part sparkling water.
- Stir very well and taste to add more as desired.
- One quart makes 4-6 sodas, depending on the size of the glasses.
Notes
Storing Note: Canned jars store for up to 18 months; frozen 1-2 years, depending on the type of freezer you have.
Nutrition
Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 0.04g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 207IU | Vitamin C: 167mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg
