Sacramento Digs Gardening: Juice fresh tomatoes, then make Bloody Mary with a twist

Making fresh tomato juice is easy; all it takes is a blender and really ripe tomatoes.

Eight tomatoes on a plate — Use ripe round tomatoes to get the juice.

With this recent heat wave, tomatoes are nearly exploding with juice. Besides “juice tomatoes” bred specifically for their high water content, several common fast-maturing varieties work well for juice, too. That includes Early Girl, Ace, Celebrity and Better Boy. Round tomatoes tend to yield more juice than beefsteaks.

Some cooks suggest adding a few plum tomatoes for added body and thicker texture. Beloved for sauces, plum tomatoes such as Roma have fewer seeds and less water than other varieties.

Fresh tomato juice tastes and looks a little different than store-bought processed canned tomato juice. Fresh “squeezed” is not exposed to heat, so it stays a brighter, lighter, pinkish color, depending on variety. It also contains no added sugar or preservatives. Tomato juice can be frozen or used in tomato-based sauces, soups and other recipes.

Peeling the tomatoes is optional; the peel adds more color and fiber. The same goes for straining the juice for seeds.

What to do with that fresh juice? Try it in a Fresh Bloody Mary.

Cheers to ripe tomatoes!

Fresh tomato juice

Tomato juice in a blender — Just-blended juice in the blender.

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 pound very ripe tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Wash and core tomatoes. Chop tomatoes into quarters or eighths, depending on size. Put chopped tomatoes in blender or food processor. With the back of a wooden spoon, mash some of the tomatoes to release some juice. Process until tomatoes become liquified. Add salt and pepper to taste; pulse a few times to blend.

Use immediately or store in refrigerator.

Fresh Bloody Mary

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh tomato juice

3 ounces vodka

Juice of ½ lime

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste

Tomato juice in a clear glass with a celery stalk; tomato at left — Summer's top flavor in a cocktail.

1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish

¼ teaspoon celery salt

Celery stalks for garnish

Instructions:

In an ice-filled shaker, add all ingredients. Shake until blended.

Pour into tall ice-filled glasses. Add celery for garnish. Enjoy!

RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

tomatoes recipes recipe cocktail heat July summer cold drink Sacramento gardening vegetables

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

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April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower

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Garden checklist for week of April 19

After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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