How to make delicious and healthy carrot juice for the winter at home

The beneficial properties of carrots have been scientifically proven - the vegetable contains dozens of vitamins and minerals important for health. Root crops are grown on plots, bought in stores and markets, housewives use them to prepare the main dishes of the daily diet. Carrot juice brings special benefits to the body - it contains the maximum concentration of active substances in a form accessible for assimilation.

Read about how to prepare carrot juice for the winter at home and keep it for many months in our article.

Selection and preparation of carrots for juice

Not every orange root vegetable is suitable for cooking juice... The drink will be tasty, fresh and useful only if the vegetables are selected correctly.

Here are some tips:

1. Colour. The color of the carrots should be bright - this indicates health and ripeness. The brighter the root vegetable, the tastier and healthier the drink will turn out from it. All specimens with ugly bumps, dents, cracks and traces of the vital activity of pests and bacteria are rejected.
2. The degree of maturity. Choose a vegetable that is dense, fully ripe, firm and juicy. Unripe, flabby and dry carrots are not suitable for juice extraction.
3. The size. You should not take large carrots from the store for making healthy juice - when growing it, nitrates in large quantities could be used. Often it is the large size of the root crops that indicates that they contain an excessive amount of harmful substances. Large specimens will not be a problem if the crop was grown on its own site. In other cases, fruits weighing no more than 150 g are selected.

The main mistake of many inexperienced housewives when preparing carrot juice is that they peel the root vegetables before using. Meanwhile, it is the top layer of the vegetable that contains the maximum amount of substances useful for the body, primarily carotene.

Therefore, in order to prepare the orange root vegetable for juice, it is thoroughly washed and cleaned with a special brush. Cut off the tip and tail. The part of the carrot tail sticking out above the ground turns dark brown or green over time. When preparing a vegetable for use, this part is cut off completely; it is not suitable not only for juice, but also for eating in general.

How to squeeze carrot juice

There are several ways to get a mouth-watering orange drink, let's talk about each separately.

In a juicer

The easiest and fastest way is with an electric juicer. The whole process takes place automatically, you just need to press the start button and put the prepared carrots into the device in time.

In a meat grinder

If the meat grinder is automatic, then you can get vegetable juice in the same way as with a juicer. A mechanical apparatus will make you work hard and take much longer. The resulting carrot puree is spread on double-folded cheesecloth and squeezed into a saucepan.

In a juicer

The main difference between a juicer and other juicing devices is that vegetables are heat-treated. Under the influence of steam, the carrots are heated, juice is released, and the product is pasteurized. This is convenient for preparing blanks for the winter.

Blender

Juicing in a blender is like using a manual meat grinder.Puree is prepared from finely chopped vegetables, which is then squeezed out and a tasty and healthy drink is obtained.

By hand

But how to squeeze juice from carrots without a juicer and other equipment? There is a method, it is most often used to process a small amount of root crops - one or two, for example, to prepare complementary foods for a small child. To do this, rub the carrots on a fine grater, and the resulting gruel is passed through a strainer.

Attention! Before using carrot juice, it is recommended to add 1 tsp to it. olive oil - this promotes better assimilation of the product.

How to prepare carrot juice for the winter

There are only two methods of preserving juice for the winter, and they are fundamentally different from each other.

With sterilization

This method is also called "hot filling". The resulting juice is boiled over low heat. Then it is poured into sterilized jars and rolled up. The container is turned over so that excess air comes out, this is how the quality of the seaming is checked. In this position, the jar should cool completely, then it is removed to a dark, cool place for the whole winter.

Without sterilization

Pasteurization does not involve boiling. This compares favorably with the first method of conservation. All nutrients and vitamins remain in the juice. The drink is heated to 90-95 ° C, then immediately poured into cans. Banks are placed in a large saucepan. Pour water into a saucepan so that it covers the cans to the very neck. Pasteurization takes about 30 minutes at 70-80 ° C. After the procedure, the containers with juice are closed with tin lids.

Interesting recipes for carrot juice for the winter

The fact that carrot juice is unusually tasty and healthy is evidenced by the number of various recipes for this drink.

With orange

For cooking you will need:

• oranges - 8 pcs.;
• carrots - 8 pcs.;
• lemon - 1 pc.;
• honey - 4 tsp.

Peel the oranges and lemon and cut each into 4 pieces to fit in the juicer. Wash the carrots and load into the machine, alternating with fruits. Pour the resulting vitamin mixture into jars and pasteurize, then start rolling. Add a spoonful of honey to each glass of the drink.

With pumpkin

Ingredients:

• pumpkin - 1 kg;
• carrots - 4 pcs.;
• citric acid - 1 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - a glass;
• water - 10 glasses.

Cooking process:

1. Prepare the vegetables: wash the carrots and cut into pieces, cut the skin from the pumpkin, divide into slices.
2. Put the food in a saucepan, pour in 2 cups of water, add sugar and stir.
3. Place on the stove. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes, then puree with a blender.
4. Boil the remaining 8 glasses of water and pour into the vegetable mass.
5. Add citric acid and let simmer on the stove for 5 minutes.
6. Place in a container, tighten the lids.

With apple

For this drink you need:

• apples - 5 kg;
• carrots - 1.5 kg;
• sugar - 300 g (if apples and carrots are sweet, then sugar can not be used at all).

Dip the prepared fruits and vegetables into the juicer and prepare the juice. It needs to be defended so that the foam, along with the pulp, rises upward. Collect the floating mass in cheesecloth and squeeze. Strain the remaining juice through several layers of cheesecloth. Put the pot with the drink on the fire and heat to 90 ° C, stirring all the time to dissolve the sugar. Pour hot juice into sterilized jars. Cover them with boiled lids. Place upside down and leave in this position for a day.

With peach

This juice does not require any added sugar, as the peaches themselves are very sweet.

Ingredients:

• peaches - 1 kg;
• carrots - 1.5 kg;
• citric acid - 1 tsp.

Use a juicer to make peach and carrot juices, stir both drinks, add citric acid and put the mixture on fire. Heat the juice, not boiling, for about 5 minutes at a temperature of 95-98 ° C. Pour the drink into cans and pasteurize for 15 minutes, then roll up and place upside down. Turn over and store after 24 hours.

With beets and celery

• root celery - 250 g;
• carrot - 200 g;
• beet - 200 g;
• lemon - 1 pc.;
• water - 200 ml.

It is better to drink such juice fresh. Use a juicer to alternate between vegetables. Pour the resulting drink into glasses and add to each slice of lemon. You can also resort to canning, then a delicious vitamin cocktail will delight all winter months.

Terms and conditions of storage

It is recommended to store curled juice cans in a dark place at a temperature of 0 ... + 15 ° С. Sterilized products can be kept closed for up to 2 years, and pasteurized products - no more than a year.

If the jar has been opened, then the remainder is best placed in the refrigerator, the maximum shelf life of such storage is 3 days.

Conclusion

Carrot juice is easy to prepare, there are many different devices for this - electric and manual. It is important to choose ripe, healthy roots for harvesting and choose a recipe and method of preservation that correspond to the taste preferences of the hostess.