Recipe: Cocktail features just-squeezed tomato juice
The Fresh Bloody Mary has a lighter, more refreshing texture than the classic cocktail, which uses canned juice. Debbie Arrington
Making fresh tomato juice is easy; all it takes is a blender and really ripe tomatoes.
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
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
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!
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Garden Checklist for week of April 21
This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.
* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.
* 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? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* 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 is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* 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.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.
* 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.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.
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