So, you’re canning tomato juice? Tomatoes are one of the healthiest fruits in the world. It’s rich in vitamins, minerals, and potent antioxidants that help keep your body healthy. It has lycopene, which helps keep the heart-healthy.
Thankfully, with the availability of slow juicers, you can easily juice tomatoes and have access to the freshest and most natural tomato juice. Today on the blog, we are going to give the best canning tomato juice recipe.
Canning tomato juice is a great way to enjoy fresh and delicious tomato juice whenever you want it. If you are not a fan of ready-made juices from the grocery store, producing your tomato juice will win you over.
Pure tomato juice is unique. It doesn’t have a texture or odd taste – only natural tomato juice. You can use it to mix with other juices to make a punch or use it as an ingredient in many other recipes.
If you decide to start juicing, the first that you should do is obtain the main ingredient which is the tomato. Practically, you will need to expect to need about 1.5 kg (3.25 lbs) of tomatoes per 1 liter (US quart) jar of canned tomato juice.
You can either buy from the market or if you have a tomato garden, then this activity will excite you. Note that if you have a tomato garden, you may notice that they can ripen easily. So the best way to preserve them is to make canned tomato juice.
What Kind of Tomatoes to Use?
You might need to be careful with what tomato to use when juicing. Some tomatoes have a better yield than others. Basically, the larger the tomato the more juice content it holds. In this case, you may want to use the Heirloom tomatoes, which include Brandywine or the Purple Cherokee. They aren’t the prettiest fruit but they produce extremely flavorful juice.
If you have cherry tomatoes, you can throw them in the juicer as well.
The Best Canning Tomato Juice Recipe: Let’s Start!
Wash the tomatoes well with clean water.
Remove the core and any bad spots. Do not include extremely ripe tomatoes.
Cut the tomatoes into small chunks. Depending on your juicer, you may need to slice them into smaller pieces to ensure that the juicer works well.
Prepare a non-reactive stockpot and place it over medium heat. Fill it with at least 1/6 full of tomatoes and smash them as the pot begins to heat up. You can use a potato masher to release the juices. Frequently stir the recipe and bring it to a light boil.
Gradually add the remaining tomatoes. As long as you still have room in the pot, you can continue adding tomatoes. Boil for at least 10-15 minutes.
Once done, allow it to cool a little. Then slowly place them in a food mill. It saves time from not having to peel and de-seed the tomatoes.
Using a Masticating Slow Juicer
In another way, you may use a masticating slow juicer to extract fresh fruit juice from your tomatoes. The process is simple.
Wash all of your tomatoes with clean water.
Slice them in small chunks enough to fit the mouth of your juicer.
Juice all the available tomatoes.
Boil the juice for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Canning Tomato Juice – Storage!
When your tomato juice is ready, you can start sterilizing your container. We recommend that you use a glass container and vacuum seal it later.
To sterilize, run you’re your glass jar through the dishwasher and then heat them in a separate stockpot. Alternately, you can heat water in your stockpot and submerge your glass jars. Make sure you buy glass jars with strong heat resistance. Ordinary glass jars for decoration might break during sterilization.
Add your tomato juice to quart jars, along with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Leave ½ inch headspace. The lemon juice will not change the flavor. It only elevates the acidity level and helps preserve the tomatoes. You may also add ½ teaspoon of salt to add taste.
So, you’re almost ready! Wipe the rim and seal your jar with the lid and band. Process the jar in a hot water bath for 40 minutes or in a pressure canner with 10lbs. of pressure for 15 minutes. This should help kill the bacteria and protect your tomato juice from contamination.
Next up, remove the jar and cool down for 24 hours before storing. You must double-check your jar to ensure it is completely sealed.
Best Tomato Juicer for Canning
Canning tomato juice should not be too difficult. It is an interesting activity for you and the whole family. Plus, tomato juice brings a lot of benefits to the body, mind, and soul. To make the most of juicing, you must have a reliable masticating juicer such as the KOIOS Masticating Juicer.
What we love about this juicer is that it can extract all kinds of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, celery, ginger, and other green leafy vegetables. It works at 60db, which is almost quiet. It is very easy to assemble and dismantle for washing, helping you save more time for other important tasks.
Are you ready to start canning tomato juice? We’re also excited to see what you can use them for. You can use them for just any recipe. It’s fantastic to use tomato juice for vegetable soups and stews.
You can also use it as soup for your Bolognese or combine it with Italian dishes. This time, you have the most natural fruit juice!
