Interactive lesson

Juices and cordials, step by step

Interactive lesson: from sorting fruit, the press and the steam juicer to clearing, pasteurising in bottles and raspberry cordial.

Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Juices and cordials module. Already bought? Unlock

This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.

The whole lesson as text

1. Only sound fruit

Small fruit with scab can go into juice, but rotten fruit never can.

Sort on a table — Sort the fruit on a table before washing, not in the crate.
Throw away rotten fruit — Throw away fruit with soft brown rot bigger than your thumb and all mouldy fruit.
Cut out bruises — Cut out small fresh damage and bruises, back to sound flesh.
Wash and press quickly — Wash the fruit under running water, windfalls especially well. Sorted apples don't sit for days: the longer they wait, the more they rot.

Why: Mould on apples and pears makes a poison called patulin. It passes into the juice, can't be seen or tasted, and pasteurising doesn't destroy it. Children drink the most juice per kilogram of body weight, so they are the most exposed.

Windfalls from the grass under trees where sheep, goats or cattle graze don't go into fresh juice, only into juice that will be pasteurised.
Children under 5, pregnant women, older people and anyone who is ill drink only pasteurised juice.

2. Mill and press

Whole apples give little juice in a press, so they are milled first.

Mill to a pulp — Mill the apples to a pulp in a fruit mill (scratter), straight into the press.
Tamper, not your hand — Keep your hands away from the mill opening. Push the pulp down with a wooden tamper, never with your hand.
Pulp into bags — Put the pulp into press bags or between cloths and racks.
Press slowly — Press in 2–3 goes, with pauses. The juice goes into clean food-grade buckets and straight on to the next step.

Why: From 1 kg of apples a press gives roughly 0.5–0.7 L of juice. Mills and presses have sharp blades and strong forces, so work carefully, and children don't work at the mill.

Pulp left for 1–2 hours before pressing gives more juice and a darker colour. For pale juice, press straight away.
Wash everything that touches the juice with hot water before and after work: pulp left in the press starts to ferment within a day and draws wasps.