How to Can Homemade Cranberry Lemonade Concentrate
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Alongside my cranberry citrus lemonade concentrate, I like to just can a plain ole cranberry lemonade if I don’t have citrus on hand for slicing. This concentrate stores on the shelf beautifully for years and allows you to take advantage of those cranberry sales that frequently happen around Thanksgiving and Christmas months. My local stores frequently mark cranberries down to $0.99, so I stock up. People give me looks like “what the heck is that girl doing with that cart full of cranberries” but little do they know, I’m heading home to ferment them, make lemonade, cranberry sauce, and more! They’re my favorite!
Why So Much Sugar?!
This is a concentrate. So, you are going to take the jar of concentrate, strain the berries out, and then mix it with 1-2 more parts of water. So, yeah, it is a lot of sugar, but you’re diluting it into like 16+ servings, which isn’t that much sugar when you think of it that way. And definitely nothing compared to what you’d buy in the store. You can adjust the amount of sugar called for in this recipe, or not use it at all if that’s your thing and you can also substitute honey or maple syrup. Just be aware that neither of those are flavor neutral and will give you a different tasting end product. Err on the side of using less honey and maple syrup in recipes when replacing sugar. I try to get the best quality, raw and unrefined sugar I can afford and easily get, but if all you have is regular ole granulated sugar, that works too!
Rebel Canning
You’re going to see people screeching that canning homemade cranberry juice or lemonade concentrates this way is rebel canning and is not a safe method. To which I will tell you, yeah I suppose it’s rebel canning because the Ball corporation didn’t put it in one of its books, but also… what’s going to happen? The jars of cranberries are acidic, and specifically this concentrate has quite a large amount of lemon juice and sugar, both working as preservatives and the lemon juice lowers the pH puhhllentttyyyyyy. Botulism spores WILL NOT thrive in an environment with a pH less than 4.6. Ever. And cranberries are extremely acidic, sitting anywhere between 2.2-2.5 pH. Add lemon juice and sugar to that?! You’re fine. I adore that I get balked at for rebel canning cranberries as one of the biggest ones considering all that I can :D But even if you read my rant and are still uncomfortable canning a recipe that hasn’t been evaluated by the USDA, that’s ok, and maybe my page isn’t for you. I certainly can’t and don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to. And really, if you do can this when you’re uncomfy, you’re not going to use it because you’ll be afraid of it, so you will have essentially wasted your time and money. Don’t do that!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Stock Pot
- Pint or Quart Canning Jars
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Jar Funnel
- Jar Lifter
- Steam Canner
- Water Bath Canning Pot
Ingredients:
- 6 cups lemon juice, freshly squeezed or bottled
- 6 cups raw unrefined sugar
- 6 cups of water
- 36 ounces cranberries, rinsed and sorted
Let’s make a delicious lemonade concentrate!
Step 1: Prep
Start by adding the 6 cups of juice, water, and sugar to a stock pot.
Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Heat until hot, being careful to not boil.
While the lemon juice mixture heats, distribute cranberries between 5 quart jars. It works out to about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of cranberries per quart jar. If you want to use pints, divide that in half.
Step 2: Canning
When the juice is hot, ladle over jars filled with cranberries to 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.
Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with screw bands.
Process in a water bath canner at a full rolling boil or a steam canner for 15 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.
Once processing time is complete, remove jars to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 3: Storing
After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, and label. Store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight; room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures. Ideal storage temperature is 55-70 degrees F.
Allow the jars to infuse a minimum of 2 weeks before using, but the longer they sit, the better they get!
Shelf life is ’til you use them. Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for best nutritional value and palatability, but they will last much longer if needed as long as the seal is intact.
To Use:
Strain jar into a half gallon jar. Add equal amount of water and shake gently to mix. Chill and serve!
This is also great mixed with ginger ale or tonic water for something a little fancier. I like to use my lemonade concentrates for the second fermentation with my wild soda starter.
Use the cranberry pulp left behind to make muffins, cook into a fruit butter, or blend into a smoothie. They still have some flavor!
Equipment
- stock pot
- Pint or Quart Canning Jars
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 6 cups lemon juice freshly squeezed or bottled
- 6 cups raw unrefined sugar
- 6 cups water
- 36 ounces cranberries rinsed and sorted
Instructions
- Start by adding the 6 cups of juice, water, and sugar to a stock pot.
- Heat on medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Heat until hot, being careful to not boil.
- While the lemon juice mixture heats, distribute cranberries between 5 quart jars. It works out to about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of cranberries per quart jar.
- When the juice is hot, ladle over jars filled with cranberries to 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more liquid if needed to maintain headspace.
- Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with screw bands.Process in a water bath canner at a full rolling boil or a steam canner for 15 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.
- Once processing time is complete, remove jars to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, and label. Store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight; room temperature is fine as long as jars are not exposed to extreme temperatures. Ideal storage temperature is 55-70 degrees F.
- Allow jars to sit and infuse for at least 2 weeks before using, but the longer they sit, the better they get!
- Shelf life is 'til you use them. Aim to rotate canned goods out every 2 years for best nutritional value and palatability, but they will last much longer if needed as long as the seal is intact.
To Use
- Strain jar into a half gallon jar. Add equal amount of water and shake gently to mix. Chill and serve!
