# Steam Juicing Thread Seeking Contributors :)



## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I am a newby at Steam Juicing, just got my 11.5 qt Steam Juicer a few days ago. Naturally excited, I took a breath, cleaned it thoroughly, and read the directions FIRST. I then watched a few YouTubes, wanting to insure I had a clue before I started...

First, I steamed Apples, then made Applesauce. The Applejuice tasted a bit weak to me, but still had a nice taste (3 kinds of apples, Fuji's, Liberty, and an unknown one). The Applesauce was a little bland, but still tasted good. I just labeled it for recipe's.

Next, I steamed Pears, then made Pearsauce. Since they were very juicy, Asian Pears, I figured there would be a lot of juice. I got almost the same amount. The juice was weaker than the Applejuice (?), but the Pearsauce was also a little bland, but tasted good (same labeling).

I canned both types of juices, so I don't know yet what they will taste like after the hot water bath... 

Here is what I did:

Placed water in bottom pan (with tube closed)
Heated pan while I cut up the fruit
Placed middle pan on top of bottom pan
Dumped all the fruit into the top pan
Then, I covered with the lid
I turned my propane burner to high
When it began to steam, turned it down, but maintained steady steam
Let all the juice stream into a large stainles steel pot
After an hour, I turned the heat off
I let cool a bit, before I took it apart, and drained the interior reservoir pot into my steel pot.

Now, I then hot water bath canned the juice. Some, I reserved to taste. 

After I had steam juiced a few days, I started researching it. One site recommended taking the 1st pint of juice and pouring that over the fruit. Also, the last pint of juice. This must be the weakest?

I noticed, not by design, but due to being busy... I poured off my fruit from the Pears, then went about doing other things, without taking my steam juicer apart. When I did, I found more juice in the resorvoir, and it was stronger flavored, so I combined that with the first juice I had collected.

Tomorrow, I am trying out the site suggestion (1st pint poured...last pint poured...). I'll post the results!

As a comparison, I am going to juice some apples with my Centrifugal Juicer (I have an Omega). I'll heat that, and then compare the flavors between them. I can already tell you that the drained juice from my cooked apples (when I made Applesauce) was much stronger. I strained that and canned up the juice.

If you have used a Steam Canner, especially successfully, please post and tell us about it, share some tips, if you please :buds: We will all be drinking our fruit juices...:teehee:

Photos are also welcome! Even video links, too... Hint hint hint:happy2:


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I mainly use my steam juicer for chicken. I raise a batch of meat chickens on milk from my Jerseys. Then I butcher them all at once and put the carcasses in the freezer. (I almost said I put their bodies in the freezer but that didn't sound right.)

Then I pull out the carcasses, 2 at a time, and thaw them out. I put them in the SJ and bring it to a boil. I add a few marbles to the water pan. That way I can hear when it's either boiling too hard or if the water boils out. YOU DO NOT WANT TO LET IT BOIL DRY. Those flat-on-the-bottom decorative marbles work well and you can get a bag of them at the dollar store.

When it starts boiling I turn the heat to medium and let it simmer for an hour and a half. Then turn it off, uncover, and let it cool down. I pick all the chicken off and put it in the fridge. The broth is a lovely, clear, golden liquid. 

I then put the bones in a crockpot and make this Perpetual Soup. I dip off mugs of broth for breakfast. Add a dash of onion powder and it makes a surprisingly wonderful breakfast. Sometimes I'll add a bit of the picked off chicken meat to it. 

Or I'll put some of the broth in a pan, bring it to a simmer, and drop a couple of whisked eggs in it. Voila, fast and easy egg drop soup. Very nourishing and fast hot breakfast. My little ones love it. Or sometimes I'll add rice and some of the chicken and in 20 minutes we've got a pot of chicken and rice for breakfast. Sometimes I add broccoli to the chicken and rice.

So the steam juicer and the crockpot are in constant use in the winter. I juice chickens about once a week all winter long. If I never used the SJ for anything else it was worth buying just for chicken. I started out with the 9.5 quart size and I liked it so much I upgraded to the one that holds 11.5 quarts.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

Here's a free pdf book of recipes for your new steam juicer.


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

When I steam juice I do the first and the last like you said. 

Also you do not have to wait for the juice to cool then water bath it. 

It is about 190 degrees when it comes out of the tube right into a jar. Have your waterbath container boiling, fill the jars from the tube and put directly into the WB for required time. No reason to heat twice.

I set the jars on a stool, fill, use towels to hold to put lids on, right into the water it goes.

Nancy


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

I love my steam juicer for making juice. The Mehu-Lissa site has some great info and help, regardless of what brand you have.

I juiced all of our peaches and pears this summer. I do pour my first bottle of juice back over the fruit... and I generally sweeten mine as well. If you are not adding sugar, that is probably what makes it seem "weak" to you. I've tried it with and without sugar, and I much prefer some sugar in mine.

I also do not water bath can my juice, I run it directly from the steamer tube into sterilized bottles, cap them and they store just fine.


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## Ms.Lilly (Jun 23, 2008)

I just am not impressed with the apple juice from my steam juicer, maybe I am just spoiled by the flavor of apple cider. I don't can up the leftover fruit or veggies, because my chickens think it is a great treat. Never have done the pears, in my mind they would be alot like the apples. As far as other fruits, Cherries are great for juice, and so are plums. Of coarse dont forget the grapes. Cranberry juice is really good, but it takes alot of cranberries! Someday I will give the chicken a try.....


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

CJ said:


> I also do not water bath can my juice, I run it directly from the steamer tube into sterilized bottles, cap them and they store just fine.


This scares me. On the one hand I'd love to do this. It probably tastes fresher and for sure it would preserve nutrients. 

On the other hand, how safe is it? It's not an "approved" method. But it's juice so therefore high acid. You couldn't get botulism. It's pasturized so you couldn't get salmonella. Seems like the worst that would happen is spoilage. And you'd smell/see that when you opened it.

Anybody have any thoughts on this? 

I have 15 boxes of ripe pears I need to start on today. I've never processed pears before so I'm a little unsure about how to do them. I thought the steam juicer would be the fastest way to get through them and I'd end up with juice AND pear sauce to can, but I sure don't want bland, flavorless juice. Now I'm not sure how to proceed with them.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I'm also interested in the part where you pour the juice back over the fruit. How is that different from just combining the first and last juice together? Or does it pick up more flavor from the fruit on the second pass? And if that's the case, how is the flavor of the fruit pulp when you finish?

I was hoping to use the juicer to make flavorful juice AND flavorful pear sauce. (Or apple sauce when I do apples.)

And thank you Lori for starting this thread! Very timely for me, for sure.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I stir the pulp good and pour all the juice back over the pulp while the water is still boiling, with the tube closed. Then I open the tube, run juice into the sterilized jars and seal. I still like doing it the old way, cook fruit down, run through the cone and filter through a tea towel. More work but richer juice. Apples, I like the old way of making juice and cider, uncooked and stored in a barrel. Berries and grapes I like the juicer, quick and easy. Pears, either way, but so much easier when you do as much as we do, using it for sweetener for so many other canned fruits....James


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I don't use the steamer for sauce. I like my apples and pears with chunks (slices intact) so it doesn't cook a lot, put in jars and seal....James


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Since I need to make more Applesauce, I will opt to cook the, then drain off the extra resulting liquid for juice. 

Thanks for all the posts, will let you all know how it goes!


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## belladulcinea (Jun 21, 2006)

I do blackberries, grapes, blueberries and apples for juice and jelly. I freeze my juice for later to drink or to make jelly. I pour the first few cups of juice back over but then leave the tube in a 1/2 gallon canning jar so the juice can run out instead of staying heated. I've also done strawberries and peaches. The pears I have aren't juicy but I may steam juice a few just to see.

I also do a no no because if I'm drinking it I don't care if it's crystal clear but I do mash the berries and grapes after they've steamed a little. I also freeze my berries first as they juice much quicker and easier.

My next attempt is chicken and beef for broth.


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Grape Juice turned out delicious! Off to go fishing, will post more when I get back...


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## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

I don't have a s/j, but after watching this video, I'm keeping my eye out for one. I think it's very informative and they answer questions in the comment section.

[YOUTUBE]170VH0JdyzQ[/YOUTUBE]


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I made Plum Juice, YUM! Poured the 1st pint of juice over fruit, then also before pouring last pint over, I mashed the fruit with a potato masher, stirred a bit, also poured some honey over the fruit at the beginning. The resulting last two juices are much tastier!

I will be doing just one more batch of apples, since DH is now into the juice making phase... He really enjoys the juice, now wants to build a press that will have an attachment to his hydraulic press. He built that years ago, 38 Tons. DH loves Apple Juice and Cider, but wasn't impressed with the Steam Juiced Apple Juice


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