If you find yourself in this position, and you love tomato juice, V8, Bloody or Virgin Marys, I highly recommend making your own tomato juice. My father announced the other day that he was going to make some tomato juice with some of the garden tomatoes that were overflowing our kitchen counter and I thought nothing of it. But after one taste, wow! This is how V8 should taste.

Canning This Recipe

This recipe is not made for home canning in a water bath, as there’s not enough acidity. To scale this recipe up and adapt it for safe home canning in a water bath, follow this advice from the National Center for Home Food Preservation: “To ensure safe acidity in whole, crushed, or juiced tomatoes, add two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of tomatoes. For pints, use one tablespoon bottled lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon citric acid. Acid can be added directly to the jars before filling with product.” Between sea level and 1,000 feet elevation, process quart jars in a water bath canner for 40 minutes, and pint jars for 35 minutes. See this chart for processing times for other altitudes. Recipe adapted from Gourmet Magazine, who got it from Chef Brill Williams of The Inn at Sawmill Farm in West Dover, Vermont. Store covered and chilled. Will last for about 1 week in the refrigerator.