Preliminary Treatment Of Fruit

Cut and crush apples, peel oranges and lemons, stem grapes, use berries as received. Heat slowly to 140°. Red grapes should stand about 12 hours after heating to extract color. Use a thermometer. Do not heat citrus fruits.

Extraction Of Juice

The juice of berries and soft fruits can be squeezed through a cloth bag. Apples, pears and most grapes require a small press. Citrus juices are best extracted by means of a lemon cone.

Clearing The Juice

Strain several times through a cloth bag. Standing for 12 hours before straining will settle some of the sediment. A slight cloudiness does not injure the flavor.

Filling Bottles And Tying Corks

Scald bottles and fill with the cleared juice to within 1 1/2 inches of the mouth. Close with corks which have been boiled in water for ten minutes and tie down corks with string. Ordinary preserving jars may also be used. Seal the jars after filling.

Sterilizing

Place the bottles on their sides or corks down in a boiler with enough water to cover them. A screen at the bottom of the boiler will prevent breaking. Heat the water to 180° F. and keep at this temperature for 15 minutes. Higher or longer heating injures the flavor.

Paraffining The Corks

Remove the bottles, stand on end, dry the corks with a towel and when nearly cold dip the ends of the necks of the bottles into melted paraffin. Store upright in a cool place. .

Sealing With Crown Caps

If much juice is to be made crown caps are better than corks. They require special bottles and capping machine. The bottles, filled with warm juice, are capped before sterilizing.