Getting the recommended amount of vegetables into your diet each day can be challenging and expensive. Making your own vegetable juices from garden produce grown in your backyard is a way to kill two, make that three, birds with one stone. It will enable to you easily and inexpensively get enough vegetable nutrition into your daily diet and sneak added nutrients into your family’s diet and they’ll be none the wiser (but healthier).
Tomato Juice
It doesn’t get any easier or more versatile than homemade tomato juice made with excess tomatos fresh from your garden. Start with this basic recipe, then tweak flavor as desired.
* 5 pounds of dead ripe tomatoes
* 4 teaspoons of sugar
* 2 teaspoon salt
* Pinch of black pepper
Wash, core and quarter tomatoes and place in a stainless steel pot (don’t use aluminum) along with other ingredients. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, gently pushing tomatoes with the back of a spoon to extract all juice.
Pour juice into pint or quart jars (approximately 6 pints or 3 quarts), wipe off top, place seal and lid on jar and process in pressure canner or water bath canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars from hot water, place on folded towel and allow to cool and seal.
Drink tomato juice as-is or use as a soup base or to boil pasta. To punch up the flavor from plain tomato juice, add ½ cup of celery leaves, ½ cup of chopped onions and/or a few splashes of Tabasco sauce to the pot.
Garden Soup Juice
A little bit of this and a little bit of that gets tossed into this garden soup juice, making it a perfect stock juice for homemade vegetable soup or poaching liquid for meats. I use this garden soup juice mix instead of water in many of my recipes.
Start with the tomato juice recipe, then add 1 pound of at least 3 other garden vegetables. A pound of carrots, cabbage, onions, squash, green beans or a stalk of celery make nice juice combinations. Rough chop the vegetables of choice and cook them with tomatoes for 25 minutes. Strain liquid, pour into canning jars and process in pressure canner or water bath canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars from hot water, place on folded towel and allow to cool and seal.
Easy Homemade Carrot Juice
Refreshing and nutritious, this easy homemade carrot juice is a crowd pleaser on a hot summer day.
* 2 pounds of carrots
* 2 cups boiling water
Wash, peel and slice carrots. Place in food processor and puree, add a few drops of water if carrots are dry. Place carrot puree into large glass bowl and pour boiling water into bowl, stir and let mixture steep until cool. Pour carrot mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract all juice. Pour into canning jars and process in pressure canner or water bath canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars from hot water, place on folded towel and allow to cool and seal.
Adjust water amount to taste. Add the juice of 1-2 oranges to punch up the flavor, serve over ice for a refreshing, vitamin-rich beverage.
