Red currant juice

This is as simple as making juice from currants can be. You pick them, boil them in a pot with sweetener and pour them into bottles. As a sweetener, you can use 0 calorie erythritol, honey, or plain sugar.

This juice is without additives, so it is good to store by freezing. You can use this recipe to make black currant juice and white currant juice or a mix from these.

Currants, red, black, and white, grow in many people's gardens in Scandinavia. They are usually harvested in august. I like to make juice from my red currants since they are not that sweet. Red currants are also tasty in smoothies.

This juice is a concentrate, so mix it with some sparkling water in a ratio of 1:1 to get a refreshing drink.

This juice is great for those following a low-carb diet since it does not absorb sugar if you use stevia or erythritol. These two sweeteners are also quite nice in taste, and I found the juice to be really good with erythritol.

Just remember that anything ending in -ol, polyols don´t suit people with IBS; they get tummy cramps.

As a sweetener, you can also use a cup of honey. Regular white sugar is the cheapest option.

I have wondered what the difference is between red currant cordial and red currant juice. Even though this is a concentrate, it is not as syrupy and sweet as cordial. If you add a bit more sugar and more berries, this would become cordial syrup.

Equipment you need

• 1 big pot, at least 5 QT
• Another big pot or bowl
• Soup scoop
• Big strainer. If you don't have one, use a small tea strainer.
• Funnel
• Plastic bottles for freezing, or glass bottles

You can make a bigger batch than in the recipe, but then you need a bigger pot or several pots that you cook simultaneously.

How to make the juice

1. Pick and clean the berries

Remove rotten berries if you see some. Put them in a big pot.

2. Cover your currants with water

Cover with water, so all berries are covered. You can also preheat the water with a kettle. In this stage, also add the sweetener, so it melts when you cook the mix.

3. Boil

Let the mix cook for about 5-10 minutes. This guarantees that the microorganisms and small bugs are killed. If you want to add other spices or flavors to your juice, do it at this stage.

4. Let cool

The longer you have the juice stand at room temperature, the more intensive flavors you get. Let the mix cool for 2-12 hours before bottling. Crush the berries with a spoon against the pot walls.

5. Pour through a strainer

Use a dense strainer, so the seeds don't go through. The finer the strainer is, the more clear juice you get. A double fine mesh strainer is best. Mesh strainer bags are also good to make this juice with.

Press the berries with your hands or with a spoon, so you get all the juice out.

6. Put in bottles

Use a funnel. On top of the funnel, you can also use a small tea strainer if you don't own a big one to do the previous step.

Flavoring options

• Lemon
• Whole aniseed
• Cinnamon stick
• Vanilla bean

If you want to use some of these flavors, add the spices as a whole in the pot when you boil the juice or after boiling. Lemon can be added as juice and as peels. Vanilla can be added as a whole cut-up bean or as a flavoring syrup or vanilla powder.

What else goes with red currants?

Strawberries or apples are great to use also in this juice. They bring sweetness and more round flavors.

You can also combine other currants like white, green, or black. Rhubarb goes also well with this juice, but it needs more sweetening since both are acidic.

The best tip to freezing

You can freeze the juice in ice cube bags. This makes a nice drink with sparkling water. The currant ice cubes can also be used in alcoholic drinks.

Nutrition facts about red currants

100 grams redcurrants have 5 grams of fiber! Although you lose it when making juice. Red currants have also vitamin C, E, and Potassium. Some amounts also Iron, calcium, magnesium, and B-vitamins, most riboflavin.

How well does the juice preserve vitamins when heated?

Heating does not affect significantly the minerals. C- and E vitamins are sensitive to heat. 5-10 minutes of boiling preserve around 70% of the vitamin amount, but if you would increase the time to 30 minutes up to 50% is destroyed.

Fast boiling is best to preserve as many vitamins as possible.

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