I don’t know about you, but our vegetable garden is officially in full bloom. We are picking tomatoes, like big bowls of them, every day, along with cucumbers, beans, peppers, chilies, and broccoli, and I love every minute of it. It’s something I like doing after work, and at the end of the week I look at all of the bowls of tomatoes, peppers, and chilies, and think of things to make with them. So on a recent trip to our local farmer’s market, and while as was chatting it up with a couple of the local farmers, a lady approached them and asked to buy a huge basket of tomatoes. Of course I was going to ask this lady what she was going to do with all of those tomatoes, and her response was ‘I batch out large quantities of spicy v8 juice for bloody mary’s for football season’. As one of the farmer’s chimed in regards to the same process, I was intrigued to say the least.
So as I went back home, I decided to give my take on a v8 style juice, and man oh man was it ever good, and fresh to boot.
- Homemade V8 Juice Recipe
This recipe, as it may not be the prettiest of juices, is not only easy to make, put it has just the right amount of spice (in my opinion) and you know that you put all of that fresh produce into it.
Let’s get started.
- 1 lb of tomatoes (I used a variety from my garden)
- 1 whole green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 whole red onion, quartered
- 1 serrano chili, chopped (remove seeds if you do not want it too spicy)
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- generous pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 cups of water, divided
To a medium sized saucepan, add 1 cup of water and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes, covered.
Remove the cover, add in the remaining cup of water, give a good stir, then remove from the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
Add the mixture to a blender, and blend until you think everything is nicely pureed.
Next you will need to strain the mixture. I use a chinois but if you do not have that then try and use a fine-mesh sieve, and place in a large mason jar. Discard or compost the remaining solids.
Chill the juice in the refrigerator, and when you are ready to serve, pour over some ice or a virgin bloody mary, or add a bit of vodka if you are making a cocktail.
The result is really, really good. I typically have to add stuff to my v8 drink to make it a bit spicy, but this combination was perfect. So if you are looking to use up some of those vegetables from your garden, or better yet supporting your local farmers, then give this one a shot. It’s well worth it. Hope you enjoy!
Homemade V8 Juice
Ingredients
- 1 lb of tomatoes I used a variety from my garden
- 1 whole green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 whole red onion quartered
- 1 serrano chili chopped (remove seeds if you do not want it too spicy)
- 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- generous pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 cups of water divided
Instructions
- To a medium sized saucepan, add 1 cup of water and all remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes, covered.
- Remove the cover, add in the remaining cup of water, give a good stir, then remove from the heat and let it cool for about 15 minutes.
- Add the mixture to a blender, and blend until you think everything is nicely pureed.
- Next you will need to strain the mixture. I use a chinois but if you do not have that then try and use a fine-mesh sieve, and place in a large mason jar. Discard or compost the remaining solids.
- Chill the juice in the refrigerator, and when you are ready to serve, pour over some ice or a virgin bloody mary, or add a bit of vodka if you are making a cocktail.
- The result is really, really good. I typically have to add stuff to my v8 drink to make it a bit spicy, but this combination was perfect.