We made pumpkin juice with oranges for the winter. The juice turned out delicious.
The pumpkin was big, and there was half a pumpkin left over, which needed to be processed as well. I decided to make pumpkin nectar with apples.
We bought pumpkin nectar in the winter and really liked it. It came in bottles like these.
The label states the ingredients are pumpkin puree nectar, sugar, citric acid and water.
I decided to try making this drink for the winter using only apples.
I cut the pumpkin into wedges and pureed it in a blender, adding water. I got 2 liters of pumpkin puree.
I removed the cores and seeds from the apples, cut them into slices and chopped them.
I added some of the neighbor's crabapples to the apples. They fall on our property and have to be picked to prevent them from rotting. I got one liter of applesauce.
I put the mixture into a large saucepan, put it on the stove, and after it boiled, cooked for 20 minutes, skimming off the foam.
I added one cup of sugar and squeezed the juice from one lemon.
I poured it into a saucepan. After tasting it, I realized it wasn't acidic enough. I decided to juice a large orange, mashing it and rolling it around on the counter to get the juice out. But when I cut it open, I discovered the orange was red and the flesh was a bit dry. I squeezed out some juice, separated the pulp from the membranes, and added it to the nectar.
But again, I didn't get enough tartness. I added a teaspoon of citric acid. Now it needed some sweetness, so I added another half a cup of sugar. Now the taste is just right: sweet and sour, with a hint of orange.
I boiled it for another 5 minutes and poured it into sterilized warm bottles.
I closed them with sterile lids and wrapped the bottles in a warm old down jacket.
This is the nectar I got with pumpkin pulp and apples.
