Less Fuss, More Flavor:Homemade Tomato Vegetable Juice Recipe

Bye Bye V8 Juice - This V4 Version Will Blow You Away

The combination of autumn color and sunny, humid 80 degree days is a little disconcerting, but it does make posting a fresh tomato recipe in mid-October seem slightly less unseasonal. Into gardening? You can read more about this year's tomato growing adventures (and share your own) in Growing Tomatoes: How Many Plants Do You Need? over on my kitchen garden blog. Is your garden full of green tomatoes that are never going to ripen? Turn them into my snappy salsa-like green tomato relish.

The bulk of my tomatoes ripened at once this year, just before a couple of big rainstorms hit. Since I tend to be obsessive about not harvesting anything until the last possible moment (like right before I'm planning on eating it), I stupidly left most of the ripe tomatoes out on the vines where they proceeded to crack from all the moisture—which meant every one of them needed to be used immediately. Fortunately I'd just seen Elise's homemade tomato juice on Simply Recipes. I also remembered the Foley food mill* I'd finally bought myself but hadn't used yet. It was obviously fate.

This is a great way to use up overripe, imperfect, or just plain ugly tomatoes—which you can sometimes find for a deal at farmers' markets. I doubled Elise's original recipe and then applied my More, More, More philosophy, which included upping the onions and tossing in some fresh parsley.

As I started putting the cooked mixture through the food mill, it seemed like an awful lot of it was being left behind, so I whizzed it up in the blender first and then put it back through the food mill. The two cups of leftover pulp were happily gobbled up by our always ravenous chickens.

The unblended version is smooth and delicate and, if possible, tastes more like fresh tomatoes than fresh tomatoes actually do. It would be the perfect thing to serve at a Sunday brunch. The blended version is thicker and richer and has more celery and parsley flavor. It's also better for you since you're drinking more of the vegetable goodness. Both versions are refreshing and delicious—and miles above anything you'll find at the store.

Next year I might see if I can add some other ingredients without taking away from the tomato flavor. Campbell's V8 juice (which is made from water and tomato paste and a frightening amount of salt) contains beet juice concentrate, but I can't bear to eat my beets any other way than caramelized with garlic. I'm thinking maybe carrots or my beloved Swiss chard (so easy to grow-even in containers!) or perhaps even some sweet red peppers.

You can halve this recipe, but after the first sip you'll probably be sorry you did. As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients.


Makes Great Bloody or Virgin Marys, Too

Gardener's Delight Tomato Juice
Makes about 6 cups (48 ounces) - Adapted From Simply Recipes

6 pounds of vine-ripened tomatoes (preferably organic heirlooms), coarsely chopped
2 cups chopped white or yellow onion
2-1/2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (stems are fine)
2 Tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin powder
6 drops hot sauce (I used Louisiana pepper sauce)
Splash or two of Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a large stainless steel pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes until very soupy. If desired, carefully blend in batches in a blender, then put through a food mill. Otherwise go straight to the food mill. A sieve might work but it would probably take forever. Next time I'll try using my KitchenAid Hand Blender (probably the best $50 I ever spent in the kitchen) instead of the countertop blender.

Chill for at least several hours before adding more salt or other seasonings. This juice will keep for at least a week in the fridge. I tried freezing some in a small plastic freezer container, but haven't defrosted it yet. I'll let you know how it comes out when I do.

Update: When I defrosted the frozen tomato juice it had separated some, so that you could see teeny bits of tomato. It tasted okay but looked a little odd. I put it in the blender, and that made it all bubbly and sort of orange, though after sitting in the fridge for a while it settled down. For long term storage, this juice would probably fare better if canned in jars using the instructions below. If you use the frozen juice in a recipe, I'm sure it would work fine.

To preserve your juice in glass jars: Heat juice 5 minutes at 190F. Do not boil. Add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar. Add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid to each pint jar. Ladle hot juice into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 40 minutes and quarts 45 minutes in a boiling water canner.

*I bought my Foley food mill on a whim last year because I saw it somewhere on sale and had been wanting a food mill for ages. It worked fine for this recipe, but I really wish I'd bought this Oxo Good Grips food mill instead, especially since it has three non-slip legs (I had trouble keeping the Foley balanced on the bowl) and comes with three different grinding discs.

Hungry for more tomato recipes?
Quick and Easy Gazpacho
Fresh Tomato Pizza Sauce
Fiesta Cottage Cheese Veggie Dip (and Factory Tours)
Savory Tomato Pesto Biscuit Crust Pie
Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
Tomato Pesto Pizza, My Basil Pesto Recipe, & A Simple Tomato Salad
Purple Basil Pesto & White Bean Dip
Three No-Cook Summer Recipes: Mexican Jumping Bean Slaw, Easy Vegetarian Tacos, & High Kickin' Tomato Dressing
Cream Cheese & Tomato Sandwiches On Italian Black Olive Cheeks
The Easiest Greek Salad Ever
My Seven Second Tomato Glut Solution
Colors Of Summer Salad
Summer In A Bowl
Saving the Harvest with No Sugar Green Tomato Relish
How to Freeze Tomatoes the Really Easy Way

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres—and there can never be too many tomatoes.