Canning Grapefruit with these Easy Steps
Canning grapefruit provides a full flavor, preservative and metallic free fruit in a jar. Enjoy this seasonal fruit year round by learn how to can grapefruit in water or a simple syrup solution. Use these same instructions for canning citrus fruit such as oranges and pomelos.
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Sunshine in a jar. That’s what is achieve by canning grapefruit. During the cold, dark days of winter consuming a jar of home preserved grapefruit is bound to brighten your day. Each jar is pack full of vitamin C, loads of flavor, and contains ingredients which can be pronounced.
Once upon a time, canning citrus fruit was reserved for those who owned fruit trees. Nowadays, just about every fruit or vegetable is readily available at many local markets. Which is extremely exciting for those who are willing to try different foods.
When citrus is in season and plentiful in stores it’s time to stock up. Sadly, grapefruit has a very short shelf life of 6 weeks. In order to the enjoy the harvest well past this time, canning grapefruit is ideal.
Between the months of November through April(ish) many markets sell grapefruit and other citrus fruits at a ridiculously low price. Which is great for those who are looking to fill the pantry with home canned citrus fruit.
Another wintertime fruit to put up is pineapple. This fruit is available at many markets around the same time as citrus, and also sold at a discounted price. Not to mention, canning pineapple is extremely easy and very worth the time you put into preserving this fruit.
Reserve the Peels
The nice thing about canning citrus fruit is the ability to utilize almost the entire fruit. Use grapefruit peel to make both a DIY natural grill cleaner and a great natural cleaner for the home.
The natural cleaner solution is a base for making a glass, bathroom, kitchen, and multi-purpose cleaner.
Avoid Bitterness in Home Canned Grapefruit
The biggest complaint about home canned grapefruit and other citrus is that it is bitter. There are ways around this, though remember, grapefruit is naturally bitter. Canning this fruit will not remove the bitterness found in it, but it will soften the bitterness.
Here are steps to minimize the bitterness.
- Remove as much of the pith, membrane, and seeds as possible.
- Instead of a using a simple syrup mix as the liquid consider using boiling water and a pinch of salt.
The ions found in salt can block some of the taste receptors in our tongues, diminishing our ability to detect bitterness.
Simple Syrup Solution
If the slight bitterness found in grapefruit does not bother you, consider canning grapefruit in a simple syrup solution or water.
Mixture:
- Very light – 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water
- Light – 2 cups sugar to 4 cups water
- Medium – 3 cups sugar to 4 cups water
- Heavy – 4 3/4 cup sugar to 4 cups water
The Sustainable Canning Course
Are you searching for canning classes near you? Look no further! The Sustainable Canning Course is a self-paced series of online classes designed to help you on the road to achieving food ownership.
The Sustainable Canning Course is an extension of my book, The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest. I wrote this book to help guide those who seek to own their food source the opportunity to do so. It is a comprehensive, easy to understand book covering all methods of home food preservation, canning, drying, fermenting, curing, freezing, and storing fresh foods.
- Understand why pressure canning is necessary to preserve foods.
- Confidently alter or create recipes to be canned.
- Preserve many tomato products utilizing scientific information with traditional tools.
- How modern canning tools, such as the steam canner and steam juicer, revolutionized preserving methods.
- Understanding how to decipher information shared by the National Center of Home Food Preservation.
- Discover how easy it is to can meat, fish, soups, and stews.
These topics and many more are available within The Sustainable Canning Course. Reserve your spot now, and begin gleaning the necessary information needed to preserve foods as a modern sustainable homesteader does.
Canning Grapefruit
Ingredients
When harvesting or purchasing grapefruit keep in mind, roughly 2 pounds will yield 1 quart. Making that roughly 15 pounds for 7 quarts, and 13 pounds for 9 pints.
- 13 pounds grapefruit
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups water
For this recipe a light simple syrup mixture is used. Feel free to modify or eliminate the type of sweetener used – boiling water, honey water solution, or any sweetener or your choosing.
Canning grapefruit in a honey water solution is achievable. Follow the simple syrup recipe indicated above, replacing the amount of sugar needed with the amount of honey. Keep in mind, honey will produce a honey flavored canned good. Also, honey, once diluted, does not act as a preserving agent like sugar does.
Equipment
A steam canner is an efficient tool to use when processing grapefruit. Not to mention, it minimizes the wear and tear caused to an electric burner. This home canning tool preserves food with the use of 2 inches of water and steam. A steam canner is an ideal preserving tool to use on glass top stoves due to its light weight.
- 9-pint size mason jars
- steam canner or hot water bath canner
- jar funnel
- air bubble remover
- medium stainless steel saucepan, copper or enamel dutch oven
- silicone spatula
- mini crock pot, for warming lids
It is important to remember that canning lids should never be placed in boiling water. Doing so can remove the paraffin wax. Simple keep the lids in warm water until ready to use, making the use of a mini crock pot ideal.
Instructions
Grapefruit is made shelf stable with the use of a steam canner, hot water bath canner, or pressure canner. However, the difference in processing time between a HWB canner and steam canner to a pressure canner is a short 2 minutes. Out of the three preserving tools, a steam canner takes the shortest amount of time to reach the temperature in which the processing time starts.
- Wash and peel the grapefruit. Reserve the peel to create a DIY citrus cleaner.
- Remove the skin, white tissue and the exterior of the pith in order to prevent bitterness.
- Cut the segments from the fruit, take care to not include the pith or seeds.
- Prepare the canner and warm lids.
- Boil water or make a simple syrup solution.
- Using a jar funnel to fill jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.
- Add the liquid making sure to cover the fruit, be mindful to leave a 1/2-inch headspace.
- Wipe rim of jars, add warmed lids, and process jars according to you altitude.
As mentioned, grapefruit can be canned with the use of a pressure canner. To find the processing time for a pressure canner visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation‘s website.
My Book
The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest is a comprehensive book covering multiple methods for preserving foods in the comfort of your home. Learn how to safely can, dry, ferment, cure, freeze, and store foods fresh as a sustainable homesteader would. The tips, tricks, and recipes within this book will provide you the confidence and knowledge needed to own your food source.
Printable Recipe Card
Canning Grapefruit with these Easy Steps
Canning grapefruit provides you with a preservative and metallic free, full flavored fruit in a jar. Learn how to can grapefruit in water or a simple syrup solution.
Ingredients
- 13 pounds grapefruit
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Wash and peel the grapefruit.
- Remove the skin, white tissue and the exterior of the pith in order to prevent bitterness.
- Cut the segments from the fruit, take care to not include the pith or seeds.
- Prepare the canner and warm lids.
- Boil water or make a simple syrup solution.
- Using a jar funnel fill the mason jars leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.
- Add liquid until the grapefruit is filled.
- Wipe rim of jars, add warmed lids, and process jars according to you altitude.
Notes
When harvesting or purchasing grapefruit keep in mind, roughly 2 pounds will yield 1 quart. Making that roughly 15 pounds for 7 quarts, and 13 pounds for 9 pints.
Simple Syrup Solution
- Very light – 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water
- Light – 2 cups sugar to 4 cups water
- Medium – 3 cups sugar to 4 cups water
- Heavy – 4 3/4 cup sugar to 4 cups water
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Citrus is one of the easiest fruits to preserve, not to mention one of the most delicious. In addition to canning grapefruit consider dehydrating grapefruit slices, freezing or freeze drying the segments.
So in love with this idea! Going to do this next weekend while grapefruit on are sale. Thank you!
This sounds delicious. I have one question with regard to the processing time. Do you start timing the 10 minutes from when the canner comes to a boil, or from when the filled jars are placed in the canner?
Timing ALWAYS starts when the water reaches a hard boil.
Can an instant pot be used to can the jars of grapefruit?
Unfortunately, an InstaPot is not a tool which can be used to can foods.
Is there a safe way to can grapefruit without using sugar?
Sugar is not needed when canning fruit, but it does act as a preservant. Sugar helps hold the fruit’s texture and color. Honey will work as well, but it will alter the flavor of what’s being preserved.
Looks like a super awesomely simple recipe! Cant wait to try it!! Question though. Do you think I can get away with using erythritol instead of sugar?
I have never tried canning with erythritol, let alone make jelly out of it. If you were going to make that substitute I would suggest using a low sugar pectin. This will allow you to regulate the amount of sweetener used while allowing the goods to set. Now, keep in mind, sugar IS A PRESERVATIVE. It not only allows the goods to maintain a longer shelf life, it also preserves the color.
How tightly do you pack the fruit? A gentle press, a firm wedging or leave them a bit loose? I’ve never canned full fruit before (always just jams) so I’m unsure how firmly the fruit should be nestled in the jars before the liquid is added.
I pack the jars pretty tight, however, not enough to crush the fruit. For canning fruit I like to use regular mouth jars as it helps to hold the fruit into place, minimizing the amount of floating within the jar.
How long will the grapefruit stay preserved on the shelf if we don’t use the sugar? We just got back from California and brought home a huge tub of grapefruit. It is so sweet without needing sugar or any sweeteners, so I’d hate to add anything. Thanks!
It will hold it shape nicely for about a year. The sugar helps it to retain its coloring and add flavor.