How To Make Your Own V8 Juice (Easy Homemade Vegetable Tomato Juice)
I have a sheep farmer friend who recently told me that she swears by Campbell's V8 juice when working out in the heat. She says it's more rejuvenating than drinking water or Gatorade and literally makes the difference between wanting to keel over and being able to keep going for hours.
This is the kind of stuff I need to know. What could be even better than V8, Or in this case V4, though you can add more vegetables, such as beets, carrots, tomatoes, or sweet peppers, if you like. Either way, this easy to make vegetable tomato juice will blow that V8 away.
Did you know V8 juice is mostly made from water and tomato paste and salt, It definitely helped. And it also tasted delicious. I'm sure V8's revitalizing abilities have something to do with the frightening amount of sodium it contains (because you lose so much while sweating), so this time I doubled the salt in my recipe. I also used the Oxo Good Grips food mill I finally bought fall after lusting after one for two years. Thanks to all of you who let me know how much you like yours!
I love it. It is so easy to use and clean, the non-stick legs work great, and the three different sized grinding discs are awesome. To make this healthy, flavorful juice (recipe here), all you do is chop everything up and toss it into a pot, simmer until soupy, then put it through a food mill. It's the perfect way to make use of overripe, imperfect, or just plain ugly tomatoes, which you can sometimes find for a deal at farmers' markets. But hopefully we'll still be putting away a lot more homemade juice.
Pour the evaporated milk into a saucepan, warm slightly, and then add the sugar. Over medium high heat, bring the milk and sugar mixture to a full boil. Be sure to stir continuely. Use a wooden spoon that has been sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray for best results. Once the mixture comes to a full rolling boil, turn the heat down to medium; be sure to maintain a rolling boil. Place the candy thermometer into the pan.
Boil until the mixture reaches 234°F on a candy thermometer. Stir gently throughout the entire boiling time. Note: If you do not have a candy thermometer, allow the mixture to boil for 7 or 8 minutes but do not exceed 9 minutes. Once the mixture reaches 234°F, immediately remove it from the heat and add the butter. Stir just until the butter is melted and then discontinue stirring. Pour the hot mixture into the bowl with the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla.
Do not scrape the bottom or sides of the pan when pouring into the bowl. Stir all these ingredients together until the chocolate chips are melted. Add the almonds and still until evenly mixed and the fudge begins to loose its glossiness. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Allow the fudge to cool completely at room temperature.
Once cooled, it is ready to cut. Note: To make the fudge a little easier to cut into squares, chill it in the refrigerator for a while after it has been completely cooled at room temperature. Remove the fudge from the pan by lifting it out using the excess foil on the sides.
Flip the fudge over and place it on a cutting board top side down. Peel off the foil and cut the fudge into 1 to 1 1/2 inch squares. Begin by cutting into 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide horizontal strips. Then make 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide cuts, perpendicular to the first cuts, to create squares of fudge. The fudge is then ready to enjoy or to be packaged up and given as gifts. 2/3 cup evaporated milk - 2 1/2 cups sugar - 3/4 cup canned pumpkin - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp.
