First one sees a few flowers on the tomato plants.
Then the cherry tomato starts with a few tiny green orbs.
A week or 2 later there are the first cherry tomatoes but the big, full-size tomatoes seem such a long way off.
A week or 2 after that the freezer is full of soup, sauce and chopped tomatoes for winter; the neighbors have started locking their doors; the counter is over-flowing with ripe tomatoes and there is a full basket of just-picked ones to add to it.
And we’re eating as fast as we can.
The obvious solution?
Tomato Juice.
I’ve been making tomato juice forever.
I love home-made tomato juice but don’t really like commercial tomato juice. I find it to be too thick.
When I lived in MN I would make 20 or 30 quarts each summer. And (don’t tell the food police) I never processed it. I used boiling hot tomato juice in hot jars from the oven with boiling hot lids and rings. The jars normally sealed within a minute or two and that was that.
Here, since I don’t have Mason jars and lids, I make a quart or two at a time and keep it in the fridge. It’s gone in a few days.
I accidentally planted 2 Lemon Boy which are a lovely, small yellow tomato.
And extremely prolific.
So I made yellow tomato juice…. tastes the same.
Tomato Juice
Total time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
- 4 – 5 lbs (2 kilos) ripe tomatoes (mine were yellow), stems removed, quartered
- 1 bell pepper, same color as your tomatoes (mine was yellow), roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions:
- Put everything in a saucepan or Dutch oven, cover and heat to boiling
- Reduce heat to a hard simmer and cook for 90 minutes (or so)
- Cool slightly or completely (leave covered).
- Pour through a strainer (about a third at a time). Mash the solids with the back of a spoon to squeeze all the juice out.
- Refrigerate or process.
Now that the pool is full of water and open for swimming mon mari gets to do the fun stuff.
The deck.
Orr, I should say the lower, pool level deck.
He did the footers and posts at the end of last week.
Monday he started on the actual deck.
On two sides there will be an upper deck that comes off of our balcony. We’ll be able to walk out of the kitchen and have a swim – rather than out the front door, through the gate, around the house, halfway across the field….
You get the idea.
Next time: Synchronized bunny hopping
I will be over shortly !!!!! I see pool days at yours in my future !
We’ll be waiting! It has been lovely – and needed.
Would love your tomato juice I’m sure!
Yes, it will be grand to walk from the kitchen directly into the pool. Lucky lucky you!
I think yellow tomato juice and blood orange juice (bright red) would be fun!
Synchronized bunny hopping intrigues me!
I’ve never made homemade tomato juice. I have to try this! I was out in the garden today and I have hundreds of green tomatoes. I just know they’re going to all turn red at once. *sigh*
The pool looks lovely.
You will soon have hundred of ripe tomatoes…. Have fun with them lol
The pool is lovely..
Golden tomato juice! How delicious sounding.
(I cannot wait for the synchronized bunny hopping! Do they wear matching glitzy costumes too?)
No costumes…. and now they are dying. I’m torn by it all – I’ll write about all of it soon
I’m torn further, having read the tale. Wow