How to Can Pluot Juice

Pluot juice is made from a fruit that is a plum/apricot hybrid. Genetically it has 75% from the plum and 25% from the apricot. It is known for having a very smooth skin and a sweet flavor. Making pluot juice is one of the easiest ways to preserve the pluot harvest. Pluot Juice is a little thick and sweet so it is good to drink plain or add to other beverages. It can also be made into a lovely jelly.

Prepare the Juicer and Jars

Begin by preparing for juicing. Fill your boiling water bath canner so it will cover 2 quart-sized jars. Place the water bath on medium heat to warm up. Fill the bottom of your steamer juicer with water and start heating the water on medium heat as well.

If you need a more in-depth tutorial on how to use a steam juicer, visit my tutorial.

Prepare the Pluots for Juicing

Since I will be using the leftover pulp to make pluot butter I will de-stem and pit 6 pounds of pluots. If you are only planning on using the juice you could skip this step. I am preparing 6 pounds because that is the amount needed for the butter recipe. If I was not making pluot butter I would fill the top basket of the juicer with pluots.

Place the pluots in the top basket of the juicer and turn the heat up to high. Continue to check the water level on the bottom as you do not want to burn your pan. Over the course of 30 minutes to an hour (or so), depending on the ripeness of your fruit, the juice will collect in the middle basin of the juicer. Be careful not to let the middle juice receptacle spill over into the water below.

I like to use a stool as my working surface as it is at a good level from the level of the stove to allow me to use gravity to help drain the juice into my jars. Place something like a wood cutting board down to protect the stool, both from the heat and sticky messes. I like to have an additional jar available to catch any drips from the hose as sometimes the clamp allows a little to leak.

Fill and Process Mason Jars of Pluot Juice

After the juice has collected in the middle portion of the steamer juicer I collect it in a pot. If I am juicing more at a time I will occasionally pull off juice during the cooking process so it doesn't overflow the middle portion.

I then place it on the stove and bring it up to 190 degrees and hold it there for 5 minutes.

I then pour the hot juice into my jars up to 1/4 inch of headspace.

After your jars are filled, place the lid and ring on fingertip tight. Now it is time to place them into the boiling water bath canner. Process for 15 minutes if at sea level. (Adjust the processing time if you are above 1000 feet.) This processing time allows you to skip the jar sterilization that would otherwise be needed.

After processing, allow to cool in the water bath with the heat off and the lid removed for 5 minutes.

At the end of the cooling time, carefully remove the jars, with a jar lifter, from the water bath and place them on a  heat resistant surface about 1-2 inches apart. Allow them to cool completely for 24 hours. 

Once cool, test the seals by pressing down in the center of each lid. If it doesn’t pop back, the jar is sealed correctly. Store your sealed jars in a cool, dark spot. For any unsealed jars, place them in your refrigerator to use within a few days.

If you have any questions about how altitude affects processing time, how to use a boiling waterbath, or how to use a steamer juicer take a look at my canning basics videos.

Next, I am going to use the leftover pluot pulp to make Pluot Butter.