JUICING UP THE INVENTORY

[NorthernWinos]

We like to let them get pretty ripe, but then there are always some red ones inside the clusters....

It's a tough choice....trying to beat the birds is important.

I don't know that if you picked them a little red if they would ripen in a pan on the cupboard....

Is the tree too large to throw a net or pin a sheet over it for a few days???

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[smokegrub]

Yes, I picked 65 pounds of blackberries, sacrificing lots of blood and picking up major thorns that my wife "dug out". I finished steam-juicing these yesterday and got 31 1/2 quarts juice.

A neighbor also gave me a pile of pears which I steam-juiced and got 13 quarts.

I will have apples this fall and hope to get some elderberries.

On another note, in the mountainous portion of the state we have what are known locally as "wild cherries" that ripen in the fall. The foilage is toxic. Do you know if these are, in reality, chokecherries?

By the way, I enjoy your posts and photos.

 

[poppysue]

Smoke,
I'd be willing to bet your wild cherries arealso choke cherries. All Cherry species have poisonous foliage, bark and seeds. Icopied this off the interenet....


"Cherry and its relatives can be easily identified by examining the base of the leaves. There are one or two small bumps (glands) on the leaf stalk next to the green blade." I'll look at mine outside and see if I can see these glands.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Yes, I picked 65 pounds of blackberries, sacrificing lots of blood and picking up major thorns that my wife "dug out". I finished steam-juicing these yesterday and got 31 1/2 quarts juice.



A neighbor also gave me a pile of pears which I steam-juiced and got 13 quarts.



I will have apples this fall and hope to get some elderberries.



On another note, in the mountainous portion of the state we have what are known locally as "wild cherries" that ripen in the fall. The foilage is toxic. Do you know if these are, in reality, chokecherries?



By the way, I enjoy your posts and photos.

They could be Chokecherries....can you Post photos of the foilage and berries...or Google Chokecherries and compare.

They make awesome wine.

 

[smokegrub]

I will Google chokecherries since I have no photos available. Thanks.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Here is the latest Chokecherry Wine doing it's magic...

This morning it was foamed way up the bucket...this PM it's just a fizzing away.....

 

[Waldo]

Awesome looking NW !!

 

[NorthernWinos]

Don't know where all these Raspberries keep coming from.....

I keep thinking that the next picking will be smaller, I did miss a day and much to my surprise got a nice bunch of berries again today........Think I will pick every other day till they are done....

They are so late this year....but everything started late.

Going to have to juice up some Raspberries real soon...freezer is getting full of them....Will put the juice in mason jars and be ready to make wine later.

Now the broccoli and beans need processing...As well there is a bumper crop of red beets to make some pickles....

No rest this time of the year.....

 

[NorthernWinos]

Freezer was just too full...Time to juice up some of the Raspberries and make some room....

Did about 21-22#...Not much left to them once they are steamed...

Got 10+ quarts of juice to make some Raspberry Wine at a later date...

The plants have given much fruit considering how dry it is...The old canes are starting to dry but still have a few berries to harvest....Will pick more....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Wade E]

Looks like some of those raspberries still have some life left in them.

 

[smokegrub]

Great looking juice.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I finished juicing up the raspberries that were in the freezer....must have been about 75-80#....I got 38 quarts of beautiful dark red juice.

I see there are still 14 quarts left from last year.....That will give many batches of various Raspberry Wines.....

I think I can safely remove one row of Raspberries this fall and replant next year....then in a couple years will have production again.

I think this hobby/obsession is getting out of hand.

Meanwhile...there is some room in the freezer....Maybe ...make and freeze up a bunch of Zucchini Bread????

 

[Wade E]

Now all that just sounds great too! Thats it, Im coming over. That color looks great NW. Did you get that rain for Jims B-Day?

 

[smokegrub]

Great work! Your juice yield was almost identical to mine for the blackberries. How many quarts will you use per 5 gallons wine?

 

[rgecaprock]

All I know is that you have pretty juice and the perfect way to preserve it for wine making. You have the ultimate way to extend SUMMER!!!!


Ramona

 

[NorthernWinos]

Great work! Your juice yield was almost identical to mine for the blackberries. How many quarts will you use per 5 gallons wine?

I like to use 20-22# of fruit for a batch of wine [3 + pounds per gallon]...so...with the raspberry juice it works out to about 10 quarts per 5 or 6 gallon batch...use grape juice or apple juice with some of the recipes.

Lately I started using more grape juice...the last batch was a Merlot/Red Grape/Raspberry Wine...I only used 4 quarts of raspberry juice and it made an awesome wine, still had plenty of raspberry flavor....That one is on the 'Reserve' rack.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Now all that just sounds great too! Thats it, Im coming over. That color looks great NW. Did you get that rain for Jims B-Day?

We got 1.28" last night...a perfect slow rain....

 

[Waldo]

Great looking juices NW...Isn't it fun though "being out of hand"

 

[NorthernWinos]

I juiced up 20# of those precious wild Blueberries....figured enough for a 6 gallon batch.

The house smelled like Blueberry pie baking....[I wish]
The juice had plenty of body, almost syrupy.
The utensils were kind of sticky, either from natural sugar or pectin...[?]
Everything got stained from the dark delicious juice.

There was nothing left to the pulp, tho I considered freezing it to add to the must....it's in the compost now...

Got much more juice than I thought...20# yielded 10 quarts.

Will add these jars to the stash...tho I think this will be one of the next batches to be made.

Wish we'd have picked twice as many berries...at least 20# for another batch of wine and 10# for some pancake syrup.....Guess it gives us something to eagerly wait for the next season.

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Wade E]

That juice looks awesome NW!