Tomato Vegetable Juice Food

TOMATO VEGETABLE JUICE

Steps:

• Cut the tomatoes in half or quarters. Cut the celery into 3-4 pieces, thinly slice the carrots, peel and quarter the onion, peel the garlic. Honestly, you don't have to cut the tomatoes, but cutting them helps them cook a little bit faster.
• Place all the ingredients EXCEPT the lemon juice in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and keep cooking, for about 30-45 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft.
• If you are using beets and carrots, they take a little bit longer to cook through and get soft, so you will need to cook the juice a little bit longer. If you are just using tomatoes, onions, garlic and celery, 30 minutes should be enough time.
• Use a potato masher or a immersion blender to mash up all the vegetables. This will get you a lot more juice and it will be faster to strain. If you have a food mill, you can use that instead. Pour in the lemon juice.
• The lemon juice will help to make sure there is enough acidity to be at a safe ph level for canning. The lemon juice won't change the flavor. Although almost all tomatoes will already be high enough in acidity for canning - it is a simple extra step to ensure safety.
• Strain the tomato juice through a fine mesh sieve, pushing on the vegetable solids to extract as much juice as possible. Taste the tomato juice and add more salt and/or sugar if needed.
• If you don't sterilize the jars, the juice will keep for about 1 week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze tomato juice for up to 1 year.
• Sterilize your canning jars and lids.
• This is how I sterilize jars.
• Wash the jars and lids in hot and soapy water. Then I place the glass jars in a 200 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 15 minutes. Using your dishwasher works great too.
• For the lids, I usually bring a pot of water to a boil, take it off the heat and let the lids stay in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes also.
• Pour the strained juice into the sterilized jarsleaving about 1/2″ of space at the top. Wipe the rims of the jars so that they seal properly and top with the lids.
• Out of this amount of tomatoes and vegetables, I was able to get 4 quarts plus a little bit extra. The amount will be slightly different, depending on how juicy the tomatoes are that you are using.
• Place sealed jars in boiling water bath for about 10 minutes. (Make sure you place a towel at the bottom of the pot, so that the jars are not directly touching the pot. Remove from the water and cool completely.
• Store open jars of juice in the refrigerator.

TOMATO VEGETABLE JUICE CANNING RECIPE

Steps:

• Wash your jars, lids, screw bands, and canning tools in hot soapy water. Rinse well to remove all suds. Set aside to air dry on a clean kitchen towel.
• Place the jar rack into water bath canner, place jars in the canner, and add water to cover. Bring the canner to a simmer (180˚F) for 10 minutes, and keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill them.
• Rinse the tomatoes, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and parsley under running water and air dry on a kitchen towel.
• Tomatoes: Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the core, cut into quarters, and add to a large saucepan.
• Carrots: Remove ends, peel, and dice the carrots. Measure 3/4 cups (3 ounces) and add to the pot.
• Celery: Trim off the ends and chop into small pieces. Measure 3/4 cups (2.5 ounces) and add to the pot.
• Pepper: Remove the stem, seeds, and membrane from the pepper. Chop into small pieces. Measure 3/4 cups (3 ounces) and add to the pot.
• Onion: Peel and chop the onion. Measure 3/4 cups (3 ounces) and add to the pot.
• Parsley: Separate the foliage from the stems, discard the stems, and chop the parsley. Measure 1/4 cup of chopped parsley and add to the pot.
• Stir to combine the vegetables, and bring the pot to a slow simmer (180˚F) over medium heat. Stir the vegetables frequently and squish the tomatoes to help release liquid.
• Once the pot is simmering, continue cooking until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Turn off the heat and let the juice cool.
• Run the mixture through a food strainer or food mill to juice and remove seeds and peel.
• Return the juice to the saucepan, add salt (if using), and heat the juice to a simmer (180˚F) over medium-low heat. Do not boil.
• Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Use your jar lifter to remove a jar from canner, drain, and place on the towel. Keep the remaining jars in the canner so they stay hot.
• Add citric acid or lemon juice to the jar. For pints, add 1/4 teaspoon of citric acid, or 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each jar. For quarts, add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid or 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice to each jar.
• Use your canning funnel and ladle to add hot juice into the jar leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
• Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp towel. Center a lid on the jar, and screw on the band until it is fingertip tight.
• Use the jar lifter to place the jar back into the canner, and repeat with the remaining jars. Try to leave some space in between the jars.
• Once the jars are all in canner, adjust the water level so it is at least two inches above the jar tops.
• Cover the canner and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Once water boils vigorously, process pints for 35 minutes, and quarts for 40 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. Adjust processing time for your altitude if necessary (see notes below).
• When processing time is complete, turn off the heat and let the canner cool down and settle for about 5 minutes.
• Spread a kitchen towel on the counter. Remove the cover by tilting lid away from you so that steam does not burn your face.
• Use the jar lifter to lift jars carefully from canner and place on the towel. Keep the jars upright, and don't tighten bands or check the seals yet. Let the jars sit undisturbed for 12 to 24-hours to cool.
• After the jars have cooled for at least 12 hours, check to be sure jar lids have sealed by pushing on the center of the lid. The lid should not pop up. If the lid flexes up and down, it did not seal. Refrigerate the jar and use within a few days.
• Remove the screw on bands and wash the jars. Label, date, and store your jars in a cool, dark place, between 50 to 70 degrees F. Use within 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate the juice once opened and consume within a few days. Yields about 7 quarts, or 14 pint sized jars.

SPICY TOMATO JUICE

Steps:

• Quarter tomatoes; place in a 6-qt. Dutch oven. Add celery, onions, green pepper and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. , Meanwhile, rinse five 1-quart plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Cool tomato mixture slightly; put through a sieve or food mill. Return to pan. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cool. , Fill all containers to within 1/2 in. of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Freeze up to 12 months. Thaw frozen juice in refrigerator before serving.