During the long winter months, the human body lacks vitamins, so people are interested in preparations that retain most of the nutrients. Carrot juice, stored for the winter, is no exception. They try to prepare it in such a way that the drink retains many elements necessary for the human body.
Preparing carrots
In order to make a tasty and healthy drink for the winter, you should choose the right carrots. What signs to look out for:
- Focus on the color of the root crop.The most delicious juice comes from carrots, which have a rich, bright orange color. Such vegetables have more benefits.
- Vegetable size. You should not buy very large carrots. It accumulates harmful substances that enter the fruit as a result of treatment with chemicals. It is better to use medium-sized or locally grown root crops for this purpose.
- Degree of maturity. The best vegetables for preparing the drink are those that are well-ripened, have a lot of juice, and are as healthy as possible.
The preparation of root vegetables is carried out as follows:
- The fruits should be washed thoroughly. It is advisable not to cut off the top layer, which is located immediately under the skin. It contains the main percentage of carotene. To clean the surface, lightly scrape it with a sharp knife.
- Afterwards, rinse the carrots again and remove any dirt that remains from cleaning.
After completing the preparations, proceed to further actions.
Subtleties of technology
Depending on the chosen method of preparation, there are certain subtleties that can be followed to obtain a tasty and healthy drink for the winter that will be stored for a long time.
Using a juicer
Prepared carrots (1 kg) are chopped and sent to the juicer. The resulting liquid is poured into a glass container and left to settle for approximately 40 minutes. Citrus zest is added to add flavor. At the end of time, strain through cheesecloth folded in several layers.
To slightly reduce the concentrate of the carrot drink, add a little water to it. Then pour into a cooking container. Place on low heat and bring to a boil. Continue to simmer for 8 minutes.
Do not let the workpiece boil too much; the temperature should be no more than 80 ⁰С.
Then add sugar - approximately 100 g, not all at once, but in parts. After it dissolves, pour 2 g of citric acid into the mixture.
Pour the finished drink into dry sterilized jars and place in a container for sterilization, do not close the lids. Sterilize for 25 minutes. Roll up and wrap until completely cool.
Through a meat grinder
In order to prepare carrot juice using a regular meat grinder, you will have to work a little. To begin with, the root vegetables are twisted, then, using gauze, the liquid is drained.
Further cooking technology does not differ from cooking using a juicer. If you want to make juice with pulp, it is better not to use a meat grinder for this purpose. The consistency is very rough.
In a juicer
For housewives who have this device at their disposal, the process of preparing a drink is greatly simplified. It is necessary to cut the vegetables into small pieces and put them in the raw materials department.
Pour warm water into the juicer container and close the hose with a clamp. Put on fire. Cooking time from 30 to 70 minutes.
Distribute the hot juice into jars, roll up and wrap until cool at room temperature.
Regular Carrot Juice Recipe
When preparing at home, it’s easy to prepare a vitamin drink for the winter; you just need to follow the instructions exactly.
You will need any available quantity of carrots; add sugar at the rate of 1 liter of liquid: 20-60 g of sand.
Use any available method to make juice from carrots. Pour into a container and place on low heat. Bring to a boil and add sugar, dissolve the grains and boil for another 1-2 minutes.Pour the prepared juice into jars, sterilize for 25-30 minutes if the jars are liter. Then roll it up and store it.
Preparing a carrot drink is not at all difficult, and it will have a lot of benefits in winter.
Recipe without sterilization
You will need 1 liter of water, 500 g of root vegetables, 100 g of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon. spoons of citric acid.
The drink is prepared in this way: the carrots are chopped, poured with water and put on fire. Cook for 40 minutes. Using an immersion blender, grind the mass along with water. Then add citric acid and put on fire. If the mixture is too thick, add water.
The final stage is pouring the drink into prepared jars, rolling and wrapping until it cools.
To prepare carrot juice without sterilization, you don’t need to spend a lot of effort, and it’s difficult to overestimate the degree of usefulness.
Carrot juice with orange
To prepare such juice for the winter, you should prepare 2 kg of vegetables, 0.5 kg of oranges, 1 liter of water, 100 g of sugar.
Prepare carrot juice. Grind the zest on a fine grater and squeeze the juice from the pulp. Connect them together, add 1 teaspoon. a spoonful of zest. Leave for 30 minutes. brew. Heat the mixture over the fire, without bringing it to a boil, add sugar and wait until it is completely dissolved.
Pour into jars, pasteurize for 30-40 minutes. At the end of time, roll up and wrap well for a day.
Canning Methods
Harvesting is carried out in 2 ways:
- Pasteurization. First, the mixture is brought to a boil and poured into containers. The jars must be closed with lids and sterilized for 20 to 45 minutes. Only then roll it up.
- Hot spill. The mixture is boiled over a fire and poured into jars while hot. Then you should roll them up.
The choice of method depends on the personal preferences of the housewife.
Juice storage
Carrot drink has a long shelf life. Of course, subject to strict adherence to the recipe and preparation rules.
If the lid of a can of juice is swollen, such a drink is dangerous to human health.
Depending on the amount of finished juice, it is stored in the refrigerator or cellar. Conditions must be optimal for storage: humidity no more than 80%, temperature from 0 to + 20 ⁰С.
Those who care about their health should take a closer look at the juice preparations of this root vegetable. Its benefits are undeniable, and the preparation process is simple and accessible.
