Making Wild Fruit Juice

A little over a month ago, our family moved out to a 7.5-acre country plot from our village home in Southern Wisconsin. The land was previously used for horse pasture. We purchased our home in the early summer but by the time our closing date came the fields were really overgrown.

There was also quite a bit of wild parsnip throughout the property. Wild parsnip is an invasive species in Wisconsin and is of particular concern because of the phytophotodermatitis rash it can cause when its oils, spread to skin through contact with the plant, are subsequently exposed to the sun.

Renz, M. (2006). Wild Parsnip [photograph] taken from Wild Parsnip, an expanding problem along roadsides in Wisconsin.

A couple weeks passed, and we were really itching (…you see what I did there) to open up some of the property to get a better idea of the terrain and the species living in the prairie. Finally, the weekend came when we had the time and right equipment to cut a path around each of the three grassland sections on our property.

Z is awesome. He pushed the brush hog around the farm all weekend. In this photo he is clearing the growth from around our pole barn which used to house horses & lots of their poop.

As soon as Z got a section opened up with the brush hog the boys and I were there — exploring, and watching out for harmful and helpful plants. I got to work with my identification books and internet to get positive identifications on plants we were unsure of.

I was delighted to find we had several species of wild fruits growing in the pastures among them are: black cherries (Prunus serotina), one lone elderberry bush (Sambucus canadensis), abundant wild grapes (Vitis riparia) and many different kinds of apples.

After a day of hard physical labor on my husband’s part and lots of running around and exploration for the rest of the family, it was time for our weekly ‘pizza and a movie’ event. While everyone else relaxed indoors in front of the TV, I took advantage of their occupation and headed out for some alone time and foraging. I do normally join them for ‘pizza and a movie’ but I really needed a minute of me-time instead.

Walking around the edge of our two front grassland sections — they are about two acres each — I picked myself a decent bucket of cherries, grapes and elderberries which my kids later helped me process.

My 5-year-olds “tattooed” hands pulling some wild grapes off the stem.

After the boys were in bed and once the fruit was destemmed and washed, I smashed the berries with a wooden thumper and I filled the pot with clean water to just cover the fruit. Then I sat in the kitchen writing and listening to music while the pot simmered away for about 30 minutes, stirring the mixture when I thought of it.

Since it was late once the simmering was complete, I covered the mixture and let it sit overnight. In the morning, I strained the liquid through a cheese cloth lined colander and returned it to the pot. In went a good chunk of sugar and I returned the mixture to simmer for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar. Once that was cool, I divided the juice into several containers, freezing some and keeping some liquid for immediate use.

I have loved giving this nutrient rich drink to my kids with a bit of ice and/or sparkling water. It also makes a great mixer & I would love to try it to brew a mead or wine.

Delicious cherry, grape, elderberry juice with a bit of gin and seltzer water on my holiday tablecloth in the middle of August because — why not!?

It’s an amazing thing to be able to go out into our backyard and find food. We haven’t planted it — it is just there. I am so grateful to this land and the many species that form the ecosystem in which I live. With all the changes we are making to the house and the land around it, I hope that our family will not only benefit from this place but be a positive force within it.