Sounds very good. Try adding a bit of cinnamon to it -- I always put some in my tomato juice. Yummy.

Dave, Nothing has changed. Just one note. If adding spinach, use very little to avoid an off color. I'd say maybe 1/2 cup fresh leaves to a batch of 7 quarts.

Thanks Shirley - tomorrow's project is now locked and loaded. ;)

denninmi - it is excellent!! Consistently gets rave reviews both here and in our household. Beats plain tomato juice hands down.

Dave

Is there anyway to make this with a BWB? There is a recipe on NCHFP that calls for 22 pounds of tomatoes and no more than three cups of other veggies so I am assuming this can be done. Just not sure how many pounds of tomatoes constitute 7 quarts.

To be safe I would say 20 to 25 lbs. of tomatoes will give you 7 quarts of juice. There will be 2 lbs of finished product in each quart. You will lose a bit in the cooking and putting through the mill and reheating.

Glad to see this recipe, saw it mentioned on other post, but didn't know where to find it. One question, in Dave's post the recipe says 7 quarts of fresh tomatoes, but in following posts say 20 to 25 lbs. for 7 quarts. Could someone please clarify. I love V-8 and can't wait to try this. (if my tomatoes ever ripen).

That's my fault because I just know (and didn't type in) 7 quarts of tomato juice. There are several previous discussions on it too that explain it all in greater detail but the search engine is down right now.

I'd agree that it takes 20-25 lbs of tomatoes depending on size and type. eg: roma and paste type will require more lbs. tomatoes than if you are using beefsteaks. ;)

Dave

PS: as to BWB it? it is written as is for PC so if you want to BWB a similar product use the NCHFP Recipe.

I didn't know it was 7 quarts tomato juice, my copy of the recipe also says 7 quarts fresh tomatoes, then specifies to cook them and juice them without saying to measure along the way.

Shirley, do you start with 7 quarts of juice rather than 7 quarts of tomatoes?

Melissa

I start with about 25 lbs of tomatoes, before any prep. I cook the tomatoes with the other ground veggies until very soft and then put through my Squeezo-Matic to extract the juice. I then heat all and place in jars. Add lemon juice, salt and sugar, put on lids and process. Usually I end up with more than 7 quarts. The remainder gets refrigerated for drinking fresh.

Got it, thanks. I think I have been starting with 7 quarts of quartered tomatoes, or the equivalent for a half batch. It'll be a full batch this year so I can give a bloody mary kit as a housewarming gift.

Melissa

I'd like to add one more thing. Celery seeds added when cooking down the tomatoes adds great flavor. I use 2 TBLS. of celery seeds when simmering 25 lbs. of washed, skins on, cut up tomatoes. Use less seeds if making a smaller batch.

Shirley, I just want to tell you thanks for this recipe again.

I make it every year and I use it in cooking as often as I use it for drinking. The vegetables vary from year to year, depending on what I have on hand when I want to can, but it's always good.

Annie

I'm bumping this up for the same reason Dave started it in 2009. Are there any updates needed? Would this be a rough equivalent to V-8? As I said in a post years ago, I don't care for V-8 as a drink but use it in soups and recipes. With all the rave reviews I think I MUST try at least one batch. Lori

Is the sugar required for safety? I'd rather leave it out and add it only if necessary when opening a quart, if that's safe to do.

The sugar is optional although it is a minimal amount. If you taste before you jar you'll know if you want it or not.

I wouldn't call it an equivalent to V-8. Not only does it not have that many veges but it is not as thick as V-8 and I find the taste far better. No additional changes reported. Canned about 40 quarts of it this past fall as we drink it daily.

Dave

Have any of you made the switch from using quantity of vegetables (onion, pepper, carrot) given in the recipe to weight or the volume of chopped veg? The size of my peppers and onions are so variable year to year, depending on growing conditions, that I don’t feel 100% confident when I make this without a weight or volume guide I can measure. Thanks!!

KSprairie - it is pressure canned for 35 min. The same time as for all the vegetables if canned alone. So even if you went waaayyy overboard with the vegetables or even left them in it isn't going to make any difference. But if you are worried about it you can always just increase the processing time.

Dave

Dave, thank you for your reply. That makes perfect sense. :) This is by far the best tomato vegetable juice I have tried. It’s a keeper, so I want to streamline the process for myself a bit. I will take some weight and volume measurements this year so I can adjust future batches if we think it needs more or less of something. If nothing else I will have a guide to compare to next year, when I will probably be wondering about the exact amounts I used!

Has anyone used celery instead of seeds? I have a ton of fresh celery I just harvested so was looking for a way to use some of it. Also, has anyone added beets?

Thanks Dave. Do you have a processing time and weight? Neither of my ball blue books have celery in them.

For celery? 1/2 pints only, coarse chopped and raw packed, fill jar with boiling water, bit of salt to taste, 20 min at 10 lbs (adjust for altitude). It is from one of the old BBB books.

Dave

In the process of doing it now. Thanks!