09-06-2003, 05:20 AM
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vegetable juice preservation/recipes?
in article , JohnDKestell at
wrote on 6/8/03 12:21 PM:
HI,
I was wondering if anyone had some good recipes for preparing a juice similar
to "V8" juice? It seems that I will be having more tomatoes than Ican even
begin to think about giving away (pity pity!) Anyway, the juice would be
awesome for making some good chile, or even for some bloody marys through the
winter.
any ideas would be appreciated. haven't had a lot of luck on the web .
thanks,
john
Although I have not done so for a few years, I have canned tomatoes in Mason
jars from time to time. My prime objective was to be safe. The results,
however have been good and flavorful.
I have a Tefal pressure cooker capable of handling three 1-quart jars at a
time. I happen to like tomato seeds, so I make no effort to strain them out.
I cut up the tomatoes and cook them in a open pot to boil it down to a much
more dense substance than I start with. Then I place them into the jars
using a large mouth funnel. I fill to about half an inch from the top. I put
the lids on loosely. I immerse them in water in the bottom of the pressure
cooker so that the depth after immersion is 1-1/2 to 2 inches. I then heat
under pressure for about 20 minutes so that I am sure everything gets
killed.
After cool down I open the cooker and tighten the lids. After final cooling,
I make sure that the lids are concave as I look down at them. I look at them
again before opening to make sure that the seal is still functioning. This
may not be the way pros do it, but if nothing else, I am sure the product is
safe.
My problem with this is that liquid gets forced out past the lid during the
final high pressure cooking. As the jars cool down, that leaves an air gap
on top. I would appreciate it if someone can tell me how to get the jar to
fill to within half an inch or so from the top.
Although it has been a long time, I have seen the canned items at fairs.
They seem to have the produce stacked nicely and neatly up to the tops of
the jars. How does that get done?
In spite of the imperfections, I have used the sauce prepared as described
in chili, often using kidney beans. The final result is excellent, but I
would like to make for a prettier package.
Bill
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