Pet & Animal: How to Make Tart Cherry Juice

Monday, 23 February 2015

How to Make Tart Cherry Juice

Tart cherry juice has recently been deemed one of Mother Nature's most effective pain remedies. In addition to being tasty and natural, it can increase total antioxidative capacity, reduce inflammation and lipid peroxidation and aid in the recovery of muscle function.^[1] You can buy versions in stores, but why bother when you can make it yourself? See Step 1 below to get started on making a batch on the stovetop or blending it up quickly for an instant fix.

Ingredients

Stovetop Method

1 lb (16 ounces) of cherries

2 lbs sugar (less, if desired)

1/2 pint water

3 bottles of carbonated water (soda)

Quick and Easy Method

15 cherries, cleaned and depitted

Sugar or sugar substitute (to taste)

Water (to taste)

Steps

Stovetop Method

Put the clean, seedless cherries and sugar in a saucepan. If you want your cherries on the super-tart side, add less sugar. You can also use a sugar substitute (like Splenda), honey, or agave syrup.
- To get the cherry pits out, score them along their sides with a knife. You may be able to pop the pits right out -- or just take a butter knife and wedge them out if they're being difficult.

Cover the pan and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. The cherries need time to soak up the sweetness of the sugar. It'll be so tangy that you'll need the water to dilute it later.

Add the 1/2 pint of water and stir until all the sugar dissolves. You're looking for one mostly uniform consistency (the cherry chunks will keep it from being entirely uniform).

Bring the contents up to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. It should maintain a light bubble the entire time, reducing the liquid and turning almost syrupy.

When finished, strain the mixture. Squeeze all the moisture from the cherries into a separate saucepan. Don't just strain it -- really squeeze out all the juices.
- You're finished with the cherries; you can throw them away. Or keep them for a topping or a preserve!

Simmer the strained liquid until it thickens like maple syrup. Then take the pan off, let it cool to room temperature and move it to a sealed vessel for storage in a refrigerator. That's it!
- The consistency is right; this is basically tart cherry juice concentrate. It's not supposed to be like juice -- it should be much thicker.

To serve this drink, put one or two spoons of it into a glass of soda water. Sparkling water (or even just water) works, too. Feel free to experiment with the ratio to find your personal taste. It may take a try or two -- but once you find the right combination, it'll be easy.
- Keep the rest in a resealable container to save for later. It'll keep for a couple weeks if kept tight and in the refrigerator.

Quick and Easy Method

Add the cherries (cleaned and pits removed) to a blender. About 15 is good if you're just making a glass for yourself; use more if you plan on serving to a group. Or if you just want some for later!
- The easiest way to clean and de-pit the cherries is to place them in a bowl, run them under cold water, and strain. Then score the cherries vertically, and remove the pit with the edge of a butter knife.

Add the sugar, as desired, and blend. If you want some serious tartness, stay away from the sugar. Otherwise, start with about 2 tablespoons -- you can always add more later if you need it.
- You can also use a no-calorie sweetener, honey, or agave syrup.

Add water, as needed. With no water, your juice will be more like a syrup-y concentrate. Add a bit tablespoon by tablespoon, blending in between. Stop when it reaches the consistency you want.
- There will probably be tiny chunks floating around preventing you from having a smooth consistency; this is normal. We'll take care of those in the next step.

Filter the juice with a strainer. Unless you like your cherry juice particularly pulpy, of course. It's easiest if you have a glass strainer (like one you might use for cocktails) that you can just set over a glass and pour in. This'll remove all the chunks of skin that your blender didn't take care of.
- If the result after the straining is still too thick, add a bit more water. Taste it periodically to see if it tastes how you like.

Serve and enjoy. Et voila! Throw some ice in, a straw, and maybe even a garnish to get fancy. Who needs the stuff from the grocery store when you can whip up your own in jiff?