I'm new to steam juicing/canning and if you're new to it too hopefully this will help. (as far as plums go anyway.
1. Get Plums!......duh ;) Rinse them with water. I added a splash of vinegar to the water to help clean them. Remove leaves & debris. Try to get as many stems of as you can but it won't hurt if miss some.
Warning!
The best type of oven for this is a gas stove because they can handle the weight, heat and time of canning. BUT if you're not rich (like me) thats probably why you are canning!! I have a glass top stove in my apartment. DO NOT CAN or STEAM JUICE ON GLASS!!! It can warp the glass and ruin the heating element underneath it. So next best option is the good ol coil top electric stove. but be warned, if you get into canning you'll have to replace the coils a lot sooner than normal cause they'll die as well from the combined heat, weight and time but hey, it's the next best option. (I used my mother's electric stove)
2. Make sure the bottom chamber is filled with water then set the juice collection part on then put the fruit basket in and dump your fruit in! My plums heaped above the rim just set the lit on top and as the juice is extracted the lid will come down, no worries. :)
3. Have a collection pot and put the tube in it. Occasionally the clamp isn't tight enough and will drip and with dark purple plum juice you can imagine the stains that could happen. UHG!!!
4. Set your timer for an hour and turn your stove on high. I like this magnetic one cause I don't misplace it lol See how the lid isn't quite on cause there is so much fruit.
And now the lid has gone down after some juice has been extracted.
5.After your hour is up, turn off the stove and release the juice into the pot. Some people release it into each bottle instead but it tends to be a lot messier than you'd think.
If you're not going to use it within the week, water bath can it. At my altitude I canned it for 25-30 min. Remember the juice is concentrated and doesn't have any added sugar. One of my favorites for the family is to make black cherry Kool Aid and substitute 1 of the quarts of water with the juice.
What do you think? Request a DIY post! I'll try it out!
-Jen :)
