How to Make Homemade/ Home-frozen Orange Juice or Lemon Juice

Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of 18 months to 2 years, and require no special attention.

Directions for Making Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tangerine or Other Citrus Juice

Ingredients

• Lemons, oranges, grapefruit or other citrus (see step 1)
  

Equipment

• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
• Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)t)
• Jar funnel ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)t)
• At least 1 large pot (at least 8-quart size or larger)
• Large spoons and ladles
• Freezing bags or containers
• Sieve:
  • a simple metal or plastic sieve. 
  • colander
  • juicer
• Filters - if you want filtered juice
  • jelly bag
  • cheesecloth
  • coffee filters

Recipe and Directions

Step 1 - Selecting the fruit

The most important step!   You should choose the best fruit you can get and make far better juice.  Don't get me wrong, it is fine to use small fruit and less attractive varieties, as long as they are firm and unspoiled!

Step 2 - Where to get oranges, lemons or other citrus

You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store.  But for large quantities, you'll find that real* farmer's markets, like the Farmer's Market in Forest Park, Georgia have them at the best prices, like the Atlanta-Forest park Georgia State Farmer's Market and orchards in the Florida, Texas and California.

You'll get about 12 to 20 quarts of lemon juice per bushel of lemons.  Count on 15 or 16  quarts per bushel.

* - not the cutesy, fake farmer's markets that are just warehouse grocery stores that call themselves farmer's markets.

Step 3 -Wash and peel the lemons or oranges!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the fruit in plain cold water. If you have a juicer or squeezer, it obviously makes it much easier.  If you don't have a juicer, don't fret, just peel the fruit (as shown in the photo), then chop or crush the fruit with a potato masher and continue to the next step.

Step 4 - Squeeze the fruit

Squeeze juice from fruit, using a squeezer that does not press the oil from rind (the oil has a bitter taste). If you have a juicer, you can use it on the peel fruit.

If you desire (I don't) you may sweeten with 2 tablespoons sugar, honey, Splenda or whatever you prefer for each quart of juice; or do as I do and pack without sugar. 

Step 5 - If desired, sieve the citrus

If you want pulp-free juice and you didn't use a juicer in step 4 that separates the pulp, you want to separate the liquid from the pulp (and seeds, stems, etc. ) There are quite a variety of ways to filter the lemons. 

Unfiltered juice:

• I like a natural citrus juice, with the natural pulp of the fruit in it, so I just plop the oranges, lemons, grapefruit, etc.  into a large metal or plastic sieve or colander or sieve, with holes small enough to trap seeds, but large enough to let the pulp through.  Colanders seem to work best.

• Another way, if you want filtered pulpless orange or lemon juice, is just to line your sieve or colander with  several layers of cheese cloth and let the juice drip through.  It could take an hour..
• If you want really clear orange or lemon juice (but most people prefer "natural" style with some solids) you can strain the juice through a paper coffee filter place inside a sieve or colander.
• If you want more filtered orange or lemon juice, use a jelly bag. Just pour hot prepared fruit pulp into a jelly bag and let it drip.  . Do not squeeze the bag.! In my experience this method takes forever.

Step 6 - Fill the jars

Pour juice into containers immediately. To avoid development of off-flavors, pack juice in glass jars. Leave 1/2 inch headspace.

Step 7 - Freeze the jars or other containers

Seal and freeze. Be sure the jars are upright.  I leave the lids on loosely, until they freeze solid, then I tighten them.  That helps to avoid breakage.

Other Equipment:

From left to right: Jar lifting tongs to pick up hot jars Lid lifter - to remove lids from the pot of boiling water (sterilizing ) Lid - disposable - you may only use them once Ring - holds the lids on the jar until after the jars cool - then you don't need them Canning jar funnel - to fill the jars

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