Hawthorn Berry Juice
Learn how to make a slightly thick, super tart, bright red juice from fresh wild hawthorn berries. Use for drinks, desserts, and baking recipes!
Servings: 1 cup
Equipment
- Jelly bag or cheesecloth + colander
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh hawthorn berries
- 2 cups water
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Clean berries: Fill a large bowl with 2 parts cold water and 1 part vinegar. Dump your fresh hawthorn berries in, swirl them around a bit, and let sit for 15-30 minutes. This will help encourage any “little friends” to come wiggling out if there are any in there, plus it gets rids of a much of dirt and debris. Scoop berries out with a slotted spoon into a colander over the sink, then rinse well.
- Cook berries: Place hawthorn berries in a heavy-bottomed saucepan; add salt and water, giving a good stir.Heat until water and berries come to a boil; turn heat down to a low simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until berries have burst and fallen apart. The juice in the pan will be sticky and slightly thick.
- Strain: Pour hawthorn berries and their juices into a jelly bag over a bowl to collect juices. If you don't have a jelly bag, line a colander with a thin dish towel or cheesecloth. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently press on the berries to help extract the juice. Allow to sit until juices stop dripping and mixture is cool enough to handle.Remove jelly bag from stand and squeeze several times gently to extract as much remaining juice as possible. If using cheesecloth and a colander, bunch cheesecloth up into a bundle and squeeze.
- Store: Discard berry mash and seeds. Put hawthorn juice into a clean jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
You should be left with roughly 3/4 - 1 cup of hawthorn berry juice, just about the perfect amount to make a hawthorn curd tart! Alternatively, use the juice to make a simple syrup, jelly, or add it to your favorite frosting recipe. Or use your imagination and come up with your own creative ideas!