Apricots ripen in mid-summer, making them sought-after additions to summer fruit salads and desserts. Rich in iron, lycopene, and beta-carotene, these small yellow relatives of the peach also make a sweet and healthy summer juice beverage. Making apricot juice can be done in one of two ways. One may feed the peeled, sliced fruits through a juicer or boil whole apricots and crush them through a strainer. Both techniques are correct, but the second method may yield slightly more apricot juice.
Juicing apricots with a juicer is typically the simplest way to make apricot juice. First, one must place a paring knife against the top of each fruit at a 45° angle. Turning the fruit while pressing gently down on the knife should slice the skin away cleanly, leaving most of the fruit intact. Some cooks leave the skin on because many juicing machines separate the solid matter from the juice inside the machine. Peeling the apricots may reduce some of the mess inside the juicer.
Then, one must cut each apricot in half to remove the pit. Lining the knife blade up with the crease near the top of each apricot fruit should help the cook cut along the thin edge of the pit, rather than cutting along the flat sides. Once opened, the cook need only pluck out the pit and slice the apricot into small pieces. From there, one may simply slip the apricot pieces into a juicer and catch the apricot juice in a cup or bowl.
The alternative method for juicing apricots requires no machine, which may make it favorable to those who don’t own a juicer. For this method, one must first add up to 10 whole, washed apricots to a small saucepan and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil and simmer the apricots until they’re easily pierced by a fork, but still slightly firm. Boiling them with the skins intact helps keep the nutrients in the fruits.
Once they’re soft, one may drain the apricots and let them cool a bit. The cook must then typically peel, pit, and slice the apricots as described. The small pieces then go into a cheesecloth-lined sieve. The sieve should be placed over a bowl or jar before the cook gently mashes and smashes the softened fruit pieces through the cloth with a wooden or plastic serving spoon. This should push the apricot juice out of the fruit and into the container below. any unused apricot juice should be stored in the refrigerator or frozen for later use.
