The Mehu-Liisa steam juicer from Finland and grapes of any kind, is a match made in heaven. My local gardening store has a long porch railing that is hung with vigorous Niagara grape vines. This time of year, the parking lot is perfumed with the heady smell of the ripening fruit. Being an avid gleaner, I asked if I could pick some of the grapes and the staff person said, “have at it!” I picked a couple of pecks and juiced them in my Mehu-Liisa.
First, I filled the fruit basket of the Mehu-Liisa with the grapes (no need to stem). Then I boiled my lids and bands and brought the water to boil in the water pan.
Next I assembled the Mehu-Liisa and set the timer for 30 minutes. This assured that the water in the water pan wouldn’t boil dry and damage the unit. Bill O’Murray was there to keep an eye on things as usual.
After 30 minutes, I needed to draw off a quart of juice (grapes are extremely juicy) to avoid the juice draining down into the water pan.
After 60 minutes (I set the timer a second time), I drained off the rest of the juice and capped the jars with the boiled lids and bands. Then, I processed the jars in a steam canner according to USDA guidelines. You can process in a water bath as well, but steam canning is my preferred method because it saves so much time and water.
My yield was 4 quarts of concentrated, incredibly rich juice. Ready to drink (mix with seltzer or water), make into jelly, or wine. I left the spent fruit in the juicer for another hour off the heat. This yielded another quart of juice. This jar I kept in the fridge and drank within a week. So good!
I hope you get a chance to juice some grapes in your Mehu-Liisa steam juicer from Finland this fall. You will be so satisfied.
Take care,
Daniel
