13 Easy Steps to Canning Grape Juice with a Steam Juicer

13 Easy Steps to Canning Grape Juice with a Steam Juicer

October 01, 2022 1 Comment

13 Easy Steps to Canning Grape Juice with a Steam Juicer

We are lucky enough to have several concord grape vines in our back yard.  Harvesting the grapes and juicing them in a steam juicer is super easy.  With the added step of water bath canning we can enjoy the fresh juice in the dead of winter.  This is one of our favorite ways to stock our pantry.

Just follow these simple steps to can your own homemade grape juice.

THE STEPS FOR CANNING GRAPE JUICE WITH A STEAM JUICER ARE EASY

Concord grapes in a box.

1. HARVEST YOUR GRAPES

We typically wait until after the first frost to pick our grapes.  This is supposed to ensure that they have released their sugar and are at their sweetest.  Depending on how many grapes you have, you can harvest them all at the same time to process them at once or you can do it in batches.

Washing concord grapes in the sink

2. WASH YOUR GRAPES

Even through we don’t use any pesticides, it’s a good idea to wash your grapes to make sure they are clean and ready to process into delicious juice.  Grapes will occasionally have dried leaves or spider webs that get caught in the bunches, so we make sure to wash these off.

Water pouring into bottom of steam juicer

3. PLACE WATER IN THE BOTTOM OF THE STEAM JUICER

Steam juicers come in three parts.  The bottom section holds the water that is heated to create the steam.  Make sure it’s full of water so it doesn’t boil dry in the middle of a batch.

Middles section of steam or juice collector.

4. SET THE JUICE COLLECTOR ON TOP

The middle section of the steam juicer is the part that collects the juice.  It’s placed on top of the water pot and has a hose where the juice will come out when it’s ready.  You’ll notice there is a domed hole in the center where the steam will rise.

Clamp on tube of juice collector

5. MAKE SURE THE TUBE IS CLAMPED

Before you start processing the first batch, you’ll want to make sure that the hose is clamped so the juice doesn’t leak out before you’re ready.  I like to hang the clamp on the handle to the pot so it doesn’t hang down and accidentially leak.

Concord grapes in top section of steam juicer.

6. PLACE THE COLANDER ON TOP FULL OF GRAPES

The third section of the steam juicer is the colander that holds the grapes.  This will sit on top of the juice collector in the middle section.  Fill the colander full of grapes.  I find if it’s all the way full, I can get pretty close to 4 quarts of grape juice in a batch.

Lid on top of grapes in steam juicer.

7. PUT ON THE LID

It’s important to put the lid on top so the steam doesn’t escape and all of the heat is retained.  It’s the steam and heat that cause the grapes to release their juice.

Lid on grapes with condensation forming.

8. TURN ON THE HEAT AND WAIT FOR THE GRAPES TO POP

Now you’re all set up to get juicing.  Turn the heat on to get the water boiling, then wait for the grapes to pop!  You’ll notice they change color as they heat.

Pink juice in tube of juicer

9. IT’S READY WHEN THE JUICE IS IN THE TUBE

If you are juicing concords you’ll be able to see the juice to start to enter the tube.  White grapes unfortunately are too light and you might have to peek in the middle section to see if there is enough juice.

Hand with yellow rubber glove holding tube into mason jar

10. PLACE THE TUBE IN A MASON JAR AND RELEASE THE CLAMP

Once the juice is ready you can place the tip of the hose in a mason jar and release the clamp.  I like to wear rubber gloves because the juice is very hot.  This allows more dexterity than an oven mitt, but still protects my fingers.

Juice streaming into jar from tube of steamer.

11. FILL THE JAR

You’ll love this step.  There is nothing like seeing that beautifully natural juice fill the jar!

Mason jar full of dark purple grape juice.

12. LEAVE 1/4 INCH HEAD SPACE

You’ll want to leave at least 1/4 inch of head space in the mason jar if you plan on processing them in a canner.

Grape juice in different sized canning jars.

13.  PROCESS IN A WATER BATH CANNER FOR 5 MINUTES ADJUSTED FOR ALTITUDE

Before processing your jars, wipe the rims, place the lids and secure with bands until finger tight.  They only take 5 minutes in a canner at a full boil, but you’ll need to adjust that for your altitude.

That’s It!  Now you’ll be able to enjoy grape juice all year long. 

Add an Ergo Spout® for easy pouring!

Don’t forget the easiest way to pour grape juice from a mason jar is with the Ergo Spout®!  Whether you are using regular mouth or wide mouth jars, we have you covered.




1 Response

Juicer Fusion
Juicer Fusion

December 13, 2022

Great post. This article has immensely great information regarding juicers and juicing which is really impressive. I normally do juicing and this adds constructive information to my knowledge base.

Apart from it, we also do write up on juicers and juicing which can be utilize by seeing the webs link:
https://juicerfusion.com/

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