How to Use a Juicer Steamer for Easy, Mess-Free Mayhaw Jelly Making

Welcome to Crazy Days with Wanda! If you're tired of the mess and hassle that comes with traditional jelly-making methods—especially using jelly bags—you're going to love the juicer steamer. In today’s homestead kitchen, Wanda walks you through how she uses a Norpro Juicer Steamer to extract pure, clear mayhaw juice with minimal effort and no cleanup stress.

Why Use a Juicer Steamer?
Making jelly with a juicer steamer eliminates the need for squeezing messy jelly bags. With this method, there’s no debris, no pulp, and no sticky mess—just beautiful, clear juice ready to be turned into jelly. The Norpro steamer Wanda uses is made of professional-gauge stainless steel and comes with five essential pieces:

Water pot with sandwich base

Juice container

Steamer insert (perforated for fruit)

Tubing with clamp

Glass lid with steam valve

This tool isn’t just for juice, either. It’s also a multi-purpose steam cooker that works for vegetables, seafood, poultry, and more. It’s oven-safe up to 400°F and doubles as a stovetop cooker or covered baker.

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How to Use a Juicer Steamer for Mayhaw Juice
Wanda begins by filling the bottom pot with water and assembling the juicer. She loads the steamer insert with frozen mayhaws—a small fruit similar in taste and smell to apples—and stacks the components. As the water boils, steam rises through the center, releasing juice from the berries into the juice kettle below.

Within 40–70 minutes, the juice starts collecting in the center pan. A built-in tube with a hospital-style clamp allows you to easily drain the juice into jars without mess or spillage. Wanda recommends checking every 45–50 minutes to monitor juice levels and ensure the water hasn’t evaporated.

Mayhaw Juice Yields & Jelly Recipe
From about two gallons of mayhaws, Wanda collects almost a gallon of juice—enough for multiple jelly batches. For each batch of jelly, she uses:

6 cups of mayhaw juice

4 cups of sugar

A small amount of butter (to prevent foaming)

Sugar gel or pectin

Bring the juice to a rolling boil, add the sugar, return to a boil for one minute, then skim off any foam. Pour into sterilized half-pint jars, seal with Four Jars canning lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Final Thoughts: Why You’ll Love This Method

Wanda’s method makes jelly-making accessible, efficient, and virtually mess-free. The juicer steamer not only speeds up the process, but also gives you high-quality juice without losing any flavor or nutrients. Once you're done, the leftover fruit can even be cooled and fed to the chickens—nothing goes to waste