The tomato harvest has come and gone for my CSA. So sad! It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that I ate my weight in tomatoes this season. I made many batches of bruschetta, various tomato salads, raw pasta sauce, salad dressings, raw soup, and so much more. The best tomato I had all summer came from my grandpap’s garden. He passed away about 5 years ago and hadn’t tended to the garden for years before that. My uncle moved back to the old homestead and has been giving the family some of the random bounty that’s been popping up. The garden also gifted me with the best lettuce greens I had all summer. Pappap’s tomatoes were so outrageously delicious that I was eating them like apples. If I could have those tomatoes year-round, I’d be converting to tomatotarian in a flash.
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| A sauce recipe I’ve been working on (with a secret ingredient!) |
As I was making this V8 juice, I discovered that my juicer doesn’t handle tomatoes well. I use a masticating juicer which works wonderfully for harder veggies and leafy greens. I never have problems juicing cucumbers or softer fruits like pears either. But the tomatoes, oh boy, were they trouble! In the future, I’ll probably use my nut milk bag to strain this as little to none of the tomato pulp comes out the other end. Seeds and all ended up in my juice. I strained it multiple times, but would’ve saved time if I had just grabbed the nut milk bag.At one point, I pushed the plunger down and tomato juice shot out covering my work space. I thought I got it all until I went into the bathroom and noticed juice pulp in my bangs!
My inspiration to make this juice came from a video I watched by Kristina Carillo-Bucaram. I first heard her speak on the Rawpalooza Summit last fall. She is always creating something amazing. She’s an 80/10/10’er, raw food educator, soon-to-be author, and an artiste to boot. Did I mention that she founded the largest organic food co-op in the U.S., too? Very cool.
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This juice looks beautiful! I really needed a quick raw “V8 Juice” to make. My mother LOVES the traditional juice that comes from a bottle, but since we are both doing at least one raw vegan meal everyday together (the rest of the day vegan), and I really wanted to impress her with this. Thanks!
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