Very tasty tomato juice for the winter
Homemade tomato juice for the winter is a delicious treat. We select the ripest tomatoes, free of bruises and rot, and sure to be delicious: sweet, juicy, and slightly tart. If tomatoes are underripe or overripe, they won't make good juice; they're only good for tomato sauce or tomato paste. Tomato juice can be made in a variety of ways: by blending tomatoes, grinding them in a meat grinder, boiling the slices, letting the juice simmer for a while, or sterilizing the jars. The juice is preserved with the pulp, and then strained through a sieve to ensure a smooth juice, free of skin and seeds. The simplest method is to puree the tomatoes, then strain them through a sieve and bring the juice to a boil. Neither vinegar nor sterilization is necessary for this preparation—tomatoes contain enough acid, which acts as a natural preservative.
Ingredients for tomato juice:
- ripe juicy tomatoes – 1 kg;
- salt – to taste;
- Provencal herbs – 0.5 tsp;
- ground black pepper – 3 pinches.
Making delicious tomato juice
There's no need to peel the tomatoes—the skins will remain in the colander when we puree them. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, removing the white parts.
Transfer the tomatoes in batches to a blender and purée until thick. Blend the tomatoes thoroughly to minimize waste. Pour into a fine-mesh colander or sieve.
Strain the tomato puree with a spoon, leaving only bits of skin and seeds. Rinse the colander after each batch of tomato puree, otherwise it will be difficult to strain.
Bring the juice to a boil over high heat. As soon as it starts to boil, a thick cap of foam will form on the surface. You can skim it off, but after just a few minutes, the foam will begin to subside and dissipate.
Simmer the juice for ten minutes over moderate heat, avoiding excessive bubbling. If you want the juice to be more flavorful, add some Provencal herbs and a little ground pepper. Otherwise, leave it natural, without any additives.
Add salt to the juice to taste and cook for another one or two minutes until the salt crystals dissolve.
A kilogram of tomatoes yields 700-800 ml of tomato juice—choose jars based on the tomatoes you have. Sterilize the jars beforehand and boil the lids. Pour the boiling tomato juice into the hot jars and seal with threaded lids or a sealing machine.
Once the juice has cooled, store the jars in a shaded area to prevent the juice from darkening in bright light. Happy canning!
