We are currently in the throes of apple processing season. My usual approach is to stew all my apples and then bottle them hot before heating them in a water bath to ensure that they keep for a good long time. I used to freeze them, but we just ended up with a freezer full of apples with no room for anything else! Now, once they are processed, no additional energy is required for their storage. This year I’ve also bottled blackberries with some of the apples for a bit of variety. I love being able to preserve food like this, especially apples since we get so many given to us for nothing.
For a few years, though, we have been discussing the possibility of making a scratter and press so that we could produce apple juice. Somehow we never got round to it. And then a couple of weeks ago I was introduced to a gadget that I simply couldn’t resist – a steam juicer. This amazing gadget produces hot juice that can be bottled directly for storage. It’s really just a big steamer with a reservoir to collect the juice, which has a pipe to drain hot juice directly into bottles. All that the user needs to do is wash and then chop up the apples (in fact it works with all sorts of fruit and vegetables), place them in the steamer basket with some sugar if the juice is for keeping, fill the bottom pan with water, turn the heat on and let them get on with it. After about a pint of juice has been released, you collect this in a jug and pour it back over the fruit, but after that there’s very little to do. You obviously need to be around to keep an eye on things to make sure the bottom pan doesn’t boil dry and to drain juice into (pre-heated) bottles, but it’s a remarkably easy way to produce juice.
And the name of this glorious gadget? It’s a Mehu Liisa. And I feel I must thank Rachel (@CambridgeGoats) for introducing me to this wonderful thing. Now, where can I get some more apples…?
The Snail of Happiness 
Ann
/ October 22, 2016Wow! I’m impressed. And the juice is so clear too. One day I’ll get around to learning how to bottle instead of freeze, but one step at a time. 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 22, 2016Some things are so easy to bottle – tomatoes and apples are so acidic that there is no real risk – come and visit for a lesson some time.
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coppicelearner
/ October 22, 2016The juice was lovely – I finished the bottle today. I am seriously thinking of getting one of these juicers. I pick lots of blackberries, sloes and elderberries and could pick even more if I wanted to. Then there are blackcurrants. So maybe I could make lots of bottles of juices (assorted) and save buying fruit juice. I just have to start saving lots of bottles! OOOOH just thought – Is that an excuse – sorry reason😉 – to drink lots of wine?
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 22, 2016I like your thinking there! Thank you for being our first tester. I have to say that I am loving making juice this way… I rather fancy a red currant raspberry combination next summer.
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anne54
/ October 22, 2016That’s fantastic! You probably don’t even need to core the apples, and the reside pulp can go to the compost and/or chooks.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 22, 2016Exactly – in fact I got every scrap of juice out using a jelly bag with the last of the pulp.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ October 22, 2016Well, bowl me over with a feather!! What a wonderful invention!! Happy days my friend 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 22, 2016What I don’t understand is why I’ve never seen one before!
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Wild Daffodil
/ October 22, 2016Wow! I LOVE that. So much easier than juicing and pasteurising!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 23, 2016It really is so easy. Today I added pieces of root ginger to the ‘reservoir’, so we have an apple and ginger juice which is lovely.
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katechiconi
/ October 23, 2016What a brilliant gadget! I can ‘hear’ your glee at being even more productive and less wasteful, as well as having a lovely cache of juice for the off-season.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 23, 2016What I don’t understand is why I’ve never come across one before!
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katechiconi
/ October 23, 2016Indeed, and I’d never heard of the steam extraction process either! It makes perfect sense.
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Bethany-Jade
/ October 25, 2016Ooooh what a lovely thing! When I eventually get round to growing my own veg I will have to remember this.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ October 25, 2016so far I have made 15 bottles of juice – it will have paid for itself in no time at this rate!
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