I don’t know if it’s the farm girl in me, or if I inherited it from my Grandmas, but I love gardening. There’s something rewarding about seeing what happens when you plant a seed, but even better is spending time with the kids in the garden, better yet…my quiet time. Kids gain work ethic pulling weeds and appreciating a good harvest. And this is the first year in my upstate NY garden I have had a great tomato crop.
I have learned it’s all about timing from starting the seeds to hardening plants and avoiding disease. I have also taught some of the other gardening gurus I work with about “suckers”. They laugh, but this is a sucker…pull these little boogers off and you’ll have better tomatoes!
With the abundance of tomatoes this year, I have loved offering garden goodies to the neighbors, but at some point, you must get resourceful when you can’t keep up with the harvest. I decided it was time to tap into recipes from one of my Grandmas. She spent hours in her garden and had some of the best recipes from her efforts.
What in the world was I going to make? My mom reminded me about Grandma’s tomato juice recipe. This isn’t just any V8 juice. It’s amazing!
Grandma’s Tomato Juice
½ Bushel tomatoes
3 onions
6 celery stalks
10 cloves of garlic
Bring to a boil and cook until soft, then run through a food mill
Put the juice back in the pot
Add:
4 T. Salt (I do a little less)
1 Cup Brown Sugar
6 T. Lemon Juice
2 T. Vinegar
If you’re a master of canning, my grandma used to pressure can at 10lbs. for 10 minutes.
I, on the other hand, need to learn the canning process. I put mine in freezer bags. Get the air out of each baggie with a straw and leave a little room for the juice to expand.
This recipe is awesome to use in soups and stews all winter. It’s the best served as a cold drink, or throw in vodka, Worcestershire and hot sauce for a spicy Bloody Mary!
The next time you have an abundance of tomatoes or any other favorite veggie, don’t forget to tap into the archive of the pioneers before you, have a WOMENT, and bring Grandma back into the kitchen with you.
Other great ideas…
Tomato Sauce – Roast some halved cherry tomatoes with onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning. Run through the food mill, there you have it. Enjoy fresh or stash it in the freezer for a rainy day.
Caprese Salad – A classic that’s perfect with your favorite mozzarella and abundance of basil from the garden. Don’t forget balsamic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
The good old way – Nothing is more classic on a summer night than a couple ears of sweet corn (Moses Farm in Eagle Bridge is our go-to for sweet corn in upstate NY, the best!) and some sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. That was a typical supper after a hot summer day for me when I was growing up.
Enjoy!
