Juicing Gooseberries

When you think of gooseberries, their typical acidity immediately comes to mind; however, gooseberries actually contain a lot of sugar if you let them ripen on the shrub. The fresh juice from the berries can be processed into delicious jelly or drank pure.

Gooseberry Juice

Gooseberry juice can easily be produced with a juicer or in a saucepan. In all cases, you will achieve a high juice yield which, if properly preserved, can be stored over the winter.

Gooseberry Juice in a Saucepan

Juicing in a saucepan is similar to using a steam juicer. The heat breaks down the outer skin of the berries and the juice so that it may be processed further.

  • Wash the gooseberries thoroughly
  • In a large pot, add the berries and some water (about 20% of the weight of the berries)
  • Close the pot and cook for about half an hour until a thick paste is formed
  • Let the fruit pulp cool down
  • Put a sieve on a large bowl and place a fine cotton cloth in it
  • Add the berries in little by little and squeeze out the juice
  • The juice can be drunk immediately, although It may be necessary to sweeten it a little
  • If you want to bottle the juice, boil the juice again and pour the hot liquid into sterile bottles with a clip-on cap

Gooseberry Juice in a Juicer

  • Place the washed gooseberries in the fruit basket of the juicer
  • If you want a sweeter juice, add a layer of sugar
  • Put the fruit basket on the filled water container, close the juicer and heat it up
  • When the water boils, the berries burst and release their juice
  • Pour the hot juice from the drain tube into sterile bottles with a clip-on cap

Gooseberry Juice in a Slow Juicer.

A slow juicer usually extracts the juice with a screw press. The pressing process is slow and gentle so no oxygen is added into the juice. Cold pressing keeps all vitamins in the juice. The berry remains fall into a separate container and can be disposed of in your compost.
If the juice is to be preserved, it must be heated and bottled hot.

Text: Garden.eco