kayskats,

I am afraid I don't know about pH info. (But I would imagine one major brand of commercial lemon juice is the same as another, so that your frozen MinuteMaid shd be able to be treated like RealLemon, but short of asking the company don't know how you could check.)

But as for using half a cup, you can use only 1/3 cup IF you are going to use a pressure canner. The 1 cup is needed to give a good margin of safety for BWB. (Here I will confess that I often used 2/3 of a cup myself, because I know I'm following amounts, etc. exactly and that there is a safety margin built in. But that's my choice. The official, known-to-be-utterly-safe recipe needs a cup of added acid.)

BUT you don't have to use all lemon juice --- you can use cider vinegar or wine vinegar for part of that acid, which I find makes a really nice flavour.

Zabby

zabby ... I'm BWB ... the 1/3 cup vinegar is for pressure.

IMHO use real lemons & limes in Annie's salsa you won't regret the extra work. For everything else I use MM frozen lemon juice, ounce for ounce. I never thought there could be a problem, now you have me double thinking my logic. Thanks. Hope it's ok to use in BWB recipes.

it's not the extra work ... it's the fact that you can't count on the lemons or limes having a consistent acidity. ReaLime and ReaLemon bottled do ... It's the frozen I can't get info on. I've eMailed the folks at Nellie and Joe about the Key Lime but can't even figure out who to email at MM (CocaCola). I've even looked up the USDA requirements for the products .. but (being metrically challenged) am more confused than ever.

AFAIK, all canning recipes are tested using bottled ReaLemon and ReaLime. That is the only form certified as appropriate for low-acid recipes like salsa which specify added lemon/lime juice. The NCHFP, Extension services, Ball etc. are all definite about not substituting fresh juice.

Also keep in mind bottled lemon or lime juice can be substituted for vinegar any time but vinegar can't be substituted for lemon or lime because it's not as acidic.

Carol

Right on, Carol. I'll use the ReaLime bottled.

But now ... since ReaLime (and Lemon) are twice as strong as vinegar (as per previous discussions about the amount to be used in canning tomatoes)

MUST I USE A FULL CUP OF ReaLime to replace one cup of vinegar?

Anybody want 16 oz of Key Lime Juice?

Well, as posted above, I used 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 1/2 cup ReaLime in Annie's salsa recipe. I still wonder if I could use 1/2 cup ReaLemon or ReaLime. Think I'll eMail Dr. Andress about that.
Now I'm stuck with a bottle of frozen MinuteMaid lemon juice and a pint of double strength Key Lime Juice. Pie, anyone?

The double strength (assume its the Kermit brand from Florida) is quite bitter tasting in my opinion. It may be stronger, but that bitteress isn't very appetizing. I have never seen frozen lemon juice concentrate, only lemonaid with sugar added. Real.. bottled products, to me have an odd taste. I like my Nellie & Joes lime juice.

Ken, the double strength is Nellie & Joe's as I mentioned above

Motts (Cadbury) also makes frozen reconstituted ReaLemon and ReaLime. I have only found it in case lots.

Kermit type was claiming double strength as well, and that one I tried, but didn't like the bitterness. It may be that the Nellie & Joes I get is the regular one in pint bottles. My N&J ones are not double strength. Found a really cheap source last year for a case of it, but they went out of business..

I am bumping this thread back up as Minute Maid frozen lemon juice has come up on two other threads. My dad is a frozen food broker (he basically sells food to grocery distributors for his clients). He used to have Minute Maid as a client, so maybe he knows someone who can find out. I'll report back.

Melissa

In the other threads (lemon ok for canning hot peppers) & (well water & boiling water bath) I've been warned against using the MinuteMaid (after I used it). It has been pointed out that since it is fresh/frozen and not 'stabilized' the acid is not consistent and I should always use bottled Real Lemon for canning, not the Minute Maid and not fresh lemons either. So I'm off to get some Real Lemon. As for the MinuteMaid? It's a lovely Fall day here in NE Ohio. Anyone for lemonade? ;-)
Kris

Most any brand of bottled lemon juice will work. Store brands and others must all meet the same acidity standards. Same with bottled lime juice.

Per NCHFP, all acidification testing was done with ReaLemon and ReaLime bottled bottled juice and Kroger 5% vinegar. Yes, they list the actual brand names. No mention of Minute Maid but as Ken said all the bottled store brands must meet the same pH testing and standardization standard.

Per the Minute Maid website the frozen lemon juice "contains the juice of 7 lemons" (and as we know the juice of fresh lemons varies in pH) and once thawed has the self life of only 8 weeks because it has no preservatives.

Just something to consider.

Dave

jeez ... seeing this thread reminded me I still hadn't used the frozen lemon juice. Sometime in the past year plus I thawed it and it's still sitting in the fridge. Guess it's time to throw it out.
kay

Kaystats,
If its brown color or smells, toss. If its still a yellow lemon color, it should still make a nice bug batch of lemonaid. I would expect its acidity has kept it safe enough even in the fridge. The bottled stuff, even though is a bit higher in acid, can discolor as well. My Nelie & Joe's lime juice will darken to a tan green color after a long room temp storage in sealed bottles, but its still OK to use.

Since the company site says 8 weeks shelf life, I'd sure pitch it. ;) It would be like using old, rotten lemons from the bottom of the veggie drawer to make lemonade.

Dave

Were talking pure juice, and probably pasturized to boot. As mentioned, if its smelly or brown, toss. Lemons for me have still been usable if unopened and the skins are withered a bit and bloched with brown. A shelf life for most things is always going to be exagerated to some degree. Perishables like tomatoes, bananas, and pickling cukes are more prone to quick spoilage like most other fresh produce. Once in a while I will still buy off the 'not as good as fresh' shelf, as sometimes you get a good deal. Last week, I bought some avacados, Hass type. Some were hard and difficult to peel deseed. The same batch I bought had two that were brown inside and were way too overripe to enjoy. Now, if the lemons are rotten and are growing mold in the fridge, YES, I would toss them.

Ken - just to clarify - we are talking about the frozen juice here. This is not the bottled type that has been pasturized, stabilized and had preservatives added and has a shelf life of at least a year. This MM stuff is nothing but the juice of 7 lemons (per the website) with nothing else added but water. It is intended to be frozen until use.

Dave

Ok, I was under the impression that even for that, pasturiziation would be done, for safety reasons.

Two of my favorite products are the Minute Maid from lemon juice and frozen lime juice. You can use these both as a replacement for fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice. They are NOT the same as bottle ReaLemon or any other bottle lemon or lime juice. I haven't been able to find the Minute Maid frozen lime juice for quite some time and just found out it was discontinued. I used to keep several bottles of each in my freezer and thaw them for use in the fridge when needed. It was so convenient to use in place of fresh squeezed juice in so many recipes. I'm sure you'd all love it if you tried it - will you call Minute Maid to request they bring back the frozen lime juice??? Here's the number to call 1-800-888-6488 You will love it!