A first!

The end of this summer marked the very first time that I have ever put up canned preserves by myself.

Tomato juice was the start!

My first batch! Food mill, jar lifter & other tools on the left.

Simply take your tomatoes & boil them so that they are thoroughly cooked through. You want them soft.
Then, throw them in the food mill, a few at a time, and crank the handle over a large bowl.
Ta-da! Juice.
If you're not interested in seeds or pulp, find yourself a strainer. I didn't have a decent strainer or the time for this, so mine is seedy & pulpy, but deeeee-lish!

Then, use a funnel to pour the juice into the pre-warmed & sterilized jars. Leave a 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of the jars. Top with a new tin top that has been heated in hot water for approx. 5 minutes.

Finally, boil in a water bath for 25-30 minutes.

Take out using a jar lifter, and set on a towel on the counter. As they cool, you'll hear the lid "snap" shut as it seals.

For the next batch of juice, I added one hot banana pepper, 1/2 onion, and some garlic. It was spicy! (Means I got a good hot banana pepper!)

Enjoy!