Making Juice From Red Currants
What summer abundance! The green bushes look so pretty dotted with red currants as though they were celebrating an early Christmas. This year everything is early. We have had lots and lots of rain and warm weather in April and we are still having rain. I went out in the afternoon to pick and came back with a whole basket filled to the brim. And I am sure that I missed some of them! 
The first step after picking is to wash in cold water and pick out any leaves and debris.I then put them in one of my large canning kettles. I add water just to the top of the currants and set the kettle on the stove. I always cook the currants until there doesn’t seem to be any more color left in them and then I let the kettle cool before handling. Sometimes I let them sit and cool overnight.
The next step is to get my 2 quart measuring bowl out and set a strainer on top of it. I then add one or two pieces of cheesecloth to the strainer.I use a ladle to place the cooked berries and juice into the strainer and then strain the juice into the measuring bowl.Currants make the most beautiful juice! When the bowl is full I pour the juice into clean quart jars. I leave about an inch at the top of the jar and then put the top on. I leave the inch at the top because I store the jars in the freezer and they need a space to expand as they freeze.
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