Top 6 simple gooseberry juice recipes for the winter

Gooseberry juice is very healthy; it's an excellent winter drink packed with vitamins. It's beneficial for adults, the elderly, and children. Most home cooks use the berries as preserves, compotes, and jams.

But they're easy to make into a delicious juice that will protect you during cold and flu season. Gooseberries help alleviate depression and low mood thanks to their serotonin content. The juice is also a great thirst quencher in hot weather.

Health benefits of gooseberry juice

Gooseberries have a variety of beneficial properties.:

1. The berry is rich in vitamins that help increase the body's resistance and fight infectious diseases.
2. Gooseberries contain polyphenyls, which fight inflammation and have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-allergenic properties.
3. Antioxidants in berries reduce the risk of developing cancer.
4. Drinking juice lowers blood cholesterol and normalizes blood pressure.
5. The drink is useful for anemia, atherosclerosis, and skin diseases.

The juice can be consumed for weight loss and to improve gastrointestinal function.

How to choose and prepare berries

To make this winter drink, you need firm but ripe berries, which can be of different varieties. First, sort the berries, removing any dry, unripe, or spoiled ones. Remove the stems and wash thoroughly.

Preparing containers for canning

The juice can be stored in glass jars or bottles. Prepare the containers before use.

Check for cracks, chips, or nicks. Avoid using such containers.

Wash undamaged jars or bottles with baking soda and mustard using a new sponge. Dry them, then proceed to sterilization. This can be done in several ways:

1. In the oven - preheat the oven to 100-120 C, place the dry container upside down and leave for 15 minutes.
2. For steaming - boil water in a saucepan, place a sieve and a steel colander on top, place the container upside down, and leave for 10-20 minutes, the time depends on the volume of the jars.
3. In the microwave - pour some water into a container and place in the microwave for 4-5 minutes at 700-800 W.

Lacquered or screw-on lids should also be boiled in water for 5 minutes.

Delicious recipes and step-by-step preparation

Recipes vary depending on the extraction method. To add variety to the drink's flavor, honey is used instead of sugar. Cardamom, ginger, star anise, and lemon juice can also be added. The thick drink is diluted with water or combined with berry juices.

Traditional method of preparation

The traditional cooking method doesn't require any household appliances. Ingredients required:

• gooseberries - 1 kg;
• Purified water - 100 ml.

First, the berries need to be washed under running water, thrown into a colander, and allowed to drain.

Place the berries in a prepared saucepan and add water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Then strain the mixture through a sieve and let the resulting drink steep for 3 hours.

Then strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth. Bring the juice to a boil again. Now you can pour it into sterile containers, seal them hermetically, cover, and refrigerate.

Cooking with a juicer

To obtain a concentrated product, use a juicer. Wash the berries, drain, and remove the stems. If desired, soak the berries in hot water (70-80°C) for half an hour.

Step by step actions:

1. Pass the berries through a juicer.
2. Mix the resulting nectar with sugar - 150 grams per liter.
3. Place on fire, bring to a boil, and simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Turn off, cool slightly and pour into jars.

A universal juicer—a centrifugal or auger juicer—will do. A manual juicer is also an option.

Recipe in a juice cooker

A juicer produces more juice during heat treatment. Here's the step-by-step process:

1. Assemble the juicer, place the juice collector on top of the water container, then the mesh with clean berries.
2. Close tightly.
3. Temporarily close the rubber hose with a clamp.
4. When the liquid boils and steam appears, reduce heat to low.
5. At this stage, the juice begins to be released, which will take more than an hour.
6. Then the clamp is opened and the drink is poured into a glass container through the hose.

It is better to pour the first batch of the drink back into the juicer, since it will not yet be sterile. The pulp is then used to make jelly and compote. Sugar is added and the pulp is boiled for half an hour.

Gooseberries with assorted berries

For color and flavor, currants are added to the gooseberries. Ingredients:

• gooseberries - 1 kg;
• red and black currants - 0.5 kg each.

Blanch the gooseberries in water for 4 minutes and the currants for 3 minutes. Cool the berries. Place the berries in jars, cover with lids, and sterilize. Seal the jars and turn them upside down.

In its own juice

This recipe is very simple and quick. Ingredients:

• gooseberries - 1 kg;
• sugar - 200 g.

First, prick each berry with a toothpick. Then, pour into a jar and place in a double boiler. The berries will release juice as they heat. The jar will shrink, so add more gooseberries to reach the shoulders. Wait 10 minutes, then cover with lids. Place the jars in a sterilizing bath: 0.5L for 10 minutes, 1L for 15 minutes, and 3L for 30 minutes. Seal, turn the jars upside down, and wrap them until cool.

Sweetened gooseberry juice

Sugar is added to the drink obtained in the traditional way (150 g of granulated sugar per 1 liter of the obtained natural juice).

To do this you need to:

1. Place the mixture on the stove and bring to a boil until the sand is completely dissolved.
2. Reduce heat and pour the drink into a sterile container at 95°C.
3. Cork.

If you are cooking in a juice cooker, add sugar directly to the gooseberries.

Storage features of the finished product

After canning, the drink should be left at room temperature in a dark place for two weeks. Then move it to a cooler, drier place and store for no more than a year. At high temperatures and in light, the juice loses its nutritional properties.