Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Do not add excess water, skip double straining, fill below 180°F, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Half-Pint or Pint Jars
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch
- Processing time
- 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Use 3 quarts water per gallon of mayhaws, extract the juice, strain twice, heat to at least 180°F, and fill sterilized jars.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, appropriate nonreactive cookware and preparation tools, jar lifter, and pints or quarts.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use exact ingredients and source-specific preparation.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1/4 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Do not add excess water, skip double straining, fill below 180°F, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
About this recipe
Mayhaw Juice is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1/4 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft; 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft; 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
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Mayhaw Juice — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 lb mayhaws about 1 gallon
- 12 cups water 3 quarts
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars Use specified jar size.
Directions
- Sort and wash mayhaws. Cover 1 gallon of fruit with 3 quarts water.
- Bring to a boil, cover and cook gently about 30 minutes. Drain through a colander, then strain through damp cheesecloth or a jelly bag; leave sediment behind.
- Sterilize jars. Heat strained juice to simmering or at least 180°F and fill hot jars with 1/4-inch headspace.
- Process pints or quarts 10 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 15 minutes at 1,001–6,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve or use this preserved product according to its texture and flavor after opening; refrigerate leftovers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the recipe?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Do not add excess water, skip double straining, fill below 180°F, use larger jars, or shorten processing.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
Mayhaw juice is unsweetened extracted juice; mayhaw syrup adds a tested sweetener formula and rolling boil.
Troubleshooting
Leave sediment behind during straining and verify the fill temperature.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
Typical canning season
Season: Spring, Summer
Months: May, June
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
12–25 lb of Mixed produce per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.