Juices

[Starlight]

I'm still tripping out on making juice from a sweet potato. Amazing.

Once the sweet potatoes are harvested around here I am going to get me a couple and play with them. I think all the ones in the grocery stores have been treated with chems, so I'll wait for fresh.

Sweet potatoes are very healthy. A veggie professor I knew said if you were going to be stranded on a desert island and could only take one veggie, make it a sweet potato.

I love sweet potatoes. I think it would be interesting to see how they taste in a juice.

Green looking things are hard to get children to try. Even I see some of the television shows making them smoothies and I see the green ones and wonder if I would try it and I'm not a kid.

I read Durgan where you said you don't process fruits and veggies together that you make them up separate and mix from there. Thinking about Ted's post, I wonder how maybe making like pear or peach juice that is naturally sweet and adding just a touch of the green veggie juices just enough to color up maybe a light green would go over.

I thought about if you could kids juices in something like those little jugs of pure sugar water I see drinking and keep in the fridge and tell them they could drink more or less what they want, if that wouldn't help and slowly just start making the juice a darker green or adding a new leafy veggie little bit by little bit.

Now I could see and will try later in the season juicing some sweet potatoes, making it bit thicker and making orange swirls of it on top of oatmeal or maybe pancakes and waffles instead of syrup and white/brown sugars.

[Starlight]

Oh forgot, didn't see a post for strawberry juicing by itself. Do you do them or do they go bad to fast?

[Durgan]

I played with strawberries, but they are very expensive. I made some fruit leather and it was too expensive. They do not have much juice. They make a delicate pudding after removing the seeds in the Champion Juicer and the product is most attractive.

I am always modifying the products. I mix in the glass, since often the different produce is not available at the same time when making.

Here is what I had for my second meal of the day. I only eat breakfast, cereal and soy beans, and a second meal later in the day.
http://www.durgan.org/2015/September...20Dinner/HTML/ 6 September 2015 Dinner
Dinner crushed garlic bulb cooked, baked Red Pontiac potato, Three different tomatoes, Glass of juice mixed , rhubarb apple, Sweet potato, Pear, Onion celery. Most from my garden.

[Durgan]

Those hand blenders are a wonder device. One can use the normal blender, but it can get awkward and messy at times. The typical hand blender cannot take much heat and only lasts a short time. I eventually bought the expensive Bamix.


http://www.williamsfoodequipment.com...c-set-76102172 Bamix - MW140 White Magic Wand Immersion Blender

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

I just went thru this thread re-reading. As I was doing so, an idea began forming and I thought I'd put it here to get Durgan's comments and possibly other folks experience/judgement.

Durgan is proof that almost anything can be juiced and preserved. Most of our kids today need to get the nutrition from more kinds of veggies. I think we can all agree that most kids need more of the good stuff. So, here's my idea and please comment on it.

What if we took some of these great flavor combinations and added them to things that kids eat - like rice and mashed potatoes. With some minor flavor tweaks according to the taste preferences in each household, we might get more brocolli and greens in those growing bodies.

Durgan has so many recipes that surely each family can find at least one or two to start with. With some kind of "mask" on what the kids are eating, they might buy in.

What do you folks think??? Anybody already try this approach??

I find it sad that parents would have to hide or sneak nutritious foods in to what their kids eat. My 4 children were raised take it or leave it. Three are adults now, and they know, appreciate, and crave real food!

I have a friend who attained 3 of his grandchildren a few years ago. Those kids were picky about what they would eat. They never wanted to eat what was put on the table. One went to the extreme of throwing fits, and starving herself until her demands were met. My friend never gave in, and just a few days later ALL sat at the table and enjoyed what was placed before them!

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by Durgan

I played with strawberries, but they are very expensive. I made some fruit leather and it was too expensive. They do not have much juice. They make a delicate pudding after removing the seeds in the Champion Juicer and the product is most attractive.

I am always modifying the products. I mix in the glass, since often the different produce is not available at the same time when making.

Here is what I had for my second meal of the day. I only eat breakfast, cereal and soy beans, and a second meal later in the day.
http://www.durgan.org/2015/September...20Dinner/HTML/ 6 September 2015 Dinner
Dinner crushed garlic bulb cooked, baked Red Pontiac potato, Three different tomatoes, Glass of juice mixed , rhubarb apple, Sweet potato, Pear, Onion celery. Most from my garden.

A big juicy rib eye would go good with that!

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/2015/September...%20Juice/HTML/ 11 September 2015 Niagara Grape Juice
Ten pounds of Niagara Grapes were harvested from the garden and made into 9 liters of juice. The grapes were removed from the cluster by swiping across a mesh screen, covered with water, cooked about 20 minutes and blended into a slurry. The slurry was out through a food mill with a 2 mm mesh screen to remove seeds and picking debris. The juice was placed in 9 one liter jars and seven were pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for storage. Two jars are for current use. Pictures depict the process.

[guruofgardens]

Nice grapes! Do you have other varieties you make juice from? Ever make jam or jelly from the grapes?

[Zana]

Looking good there, Durgan. Are you going to do any other varieties?

Just made some from Niagara Concord Grapes about a week ago, along with some jam and jelly too.

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by Zana

Looking good there, Durgan. Are you going to do any other varieties?

Just made some from Niagara Concord Grapes about a week ago, along with some jam and jelly too.

Where did you get the grapes. I need two bushels?

I have one Concord vine which is reasonably productive this year, but the grapes are not ripe enough yet. I will buy more in the Grimsby area in about two weeks.

This is my 2014 effort.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BNQMB 27 September 2014 Concord Grape Juice
Thirty three liters of juice was made from 90 pounds of Concord grapes.The grapes were picked in Thorold, ON. Grapes were washed, removed from substrate by swiping across a plastic screen, cooked about 15 minutes, beat into a slurry with a hand blender, strained through a food mill, placed in liter jars and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for long term storage. Three liters of water was added to each 30 pounds to thin and to facilitate cooking.Pictures depict the process.fort.

[Durgan]

Originally Posted by guruofgardens

Nice grapes! Do you have other varieties you make juice from? Ever make jam or jelly from the grapes?

I only make juice from Niagara and Concord, my favorite. I have four vines in the garden but two are not very productive. Boca Noir and Sovereign Coronation only produce a few pounds. Often early frost kills the buds certainly over the last two years. I never make jam or jelly.

[Zana]

I used the juice from some concord grapes to make the base jelly for making hot pepper jelly, basil jelly and mint jelly....all with reduced sugar or cane sugar....so not overly sweet. Like the fruitiness with the other ingredients. Also used some in chutneys.

[Zana]

Originally Posted by Durgan

Where did you get the grapes. I need two bushels?

I have one Concord vine which is reasonably productive this year, but the grapes are not ripe enough yet. I will buy more in the Grimsby area in about two weeks.

This is my 2014 effort.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BNQMB 27 September 2014 Concord Grape Juice
Thirty three liters of juice was made from 90 pounds of Concord grapes.The grapes were picked in Thorold, ON. Grapes were washed, removed from substrate by swiping across a plastic screen, cooked about 15 minutes, beat into a slurry with a hand blender, strained through a food mill, placed in liter jars and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes for long term storage. Three liters of water was added to each 30 pounds to thin and to facilitate cooking.Pictures depict the process.fort.

A friend has a vines and brought me over about 12 quarts. If you want, I'll check to see if there is more. Also will check to see if my sis' are concord and are fully ripe yet, if you're in search of more.

[Durgan]

Zana

I need two bushels of Concord to make into juice. I got some the last two years in Thorold, but the Spring frost completely wiped their crop this year, so must find a new source.

The white Niagara are now ripe and I will get one bushel tomorrow in Beansville, but I prefer the Concord, which are not quite ripe yet in my opinion. I have one vine in my garden and they are still on the unripe side.

I use KIJIJI to locate suppliers.

[Durgan]

http://www.durgan.org/2015/September...HTML/index.htm 14 September 2015 Concord Grape Juice
Seventy five pounds of Concord Grapes were purchased from a Vineyard ($25.00 per bushel) on the Niagara escarpment.The grapes are in peak condition.The removed substrate weighed 5 pounds, and the strained seeds weighed eight pounds. Sixty two pound were made into juice.The fruit was placed in the cooking pot in four batches of ~ 15 pounds each with ten liters of water to make a drinkable texture. The fruit was cooked until soft about 20 minutes, then blended into a slurry. The slurry was put through a food mill of 2mm mesh to remove debris and seeds. The juice was then put into liter jars and pressure canned at 15 PSI for 15 minutes. Forty nine liter jars of juice was obtained, 1.25 pounds of grapes per liter.