Homemade Tomato Juice -- Putting Up What the Mountains Give Back

New Year's. Pork and sauerkraut for luck. Black-eyed peas. Cornbread. Connie and I in the cabin watching the fire instead of fireworks. The mountains do not need fireworks.

I went up to Earl's grave at the Evarts cemetery Saturday. Brought a beer. Drank half. Poured the rest on the dirt. Some traditions are mine alone.

The creek was running clear Sunday afternoon. I watched a kingfisher work the riffle. Did not move for an hour. Some Sundays the watching is the worship.

I split a half-cord of wood Saturday. Slowly. The back does not let me work fast anymore. It got done. The wood was for the smokehouse.

Connie cut my hair on the porch Tuesday afternoon. She has been cutting my hair for forty years. The barber in Pineville cannot do what Connie does, which is also love.

Connie read aloud from a novel Tuesday evening while I worked on the bench. Some Appalachian writer she had picked up at the library in Whitesburg. The voice was the voice of where we live. We listened together.

Drove the truck to the dump Saturday afternoon. Saw three deer crossing the road on the way back. The mountains have been giving back this year.

Drove to Pineville for parts Wednesday. The hardware store man knew me. We talked about the weather and the price of feed. Forty minutes for a five-minute errand. That is rural Kentucky.

I sat on the porch with bourbon at sundown Friday. The fog rolled into the hollow the way it has every fog of every year. The porch was the porch. The bourbon was the bourbon.

I sat at the kitchen table Tuesday night working on the recipe project. Mama's soup beans. I cannot get the words right yet.

Read the paper at breakfast Tuesday. The county news is not great. The mines have not come back and they will not come back. The young people leave. The hollows empty. We stay.

Amber sent the kids' school photos this week. Nadia is taller every year. Marcus has Amber's serious face. Little Betty has Mama's eyes.

Connie made jam Saturday afternoon. Wild blackberries from the patch up the hollow. Twelve jars. The pantry is filling for winter.

The neighbor up the road — Old Roy, eighty-seven, lives alone — had a small heart scare. We took him soup beans Tuesday. Cornbread too. He cried a little when he ate. We all cry over soup beans eventually.

Worked on a basement remodel job in Lexington. The work was good. The pay was good. The body is tired.

I checked the truck oil Saturday. The mileage on this truck is criminal.

The dog — old Beau, fifteen years old — slept by the wood stove all afternoon Tuesday. He used to be a hunting dog. Now he is a heating pad with opinions.

My back was tight after the wood-splitting Saturday. Took an Aleve. Slept eight hours. Got up.

Sunday service at Harlan First Baptist when we go. Pastor preached about Ruth and Boaz. The choir sang. Connie wore her gray dress.

Travis sent a photo of Earl Thomas riding on the mower with him at a job site. The boy is wearing a Hensley Landscaping T-shirt that's too big. Three generations on a mower. I saved the photo.

I’ve been thinking about Mama’s soup beans and why I can’t get the words right, and I think it’s because good food from a good kitchen isn’t just the recipe—it’s everything that went into the pantry behind it. Connie put up twelve jars of blackberry jam this week, and watching her do it reminded me that the people who fed us didn’t waste what the season offered. This homemade tomato juice is that same spirit: simple, honest, and worth the time it takes to do it properly. You make it now so the shelf is full when you need it.

Homemade Tomato Juice

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 8 cups (approximately four 16-oz jars)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional, to balance acidity)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (required if canning for shelf stability)

Instructions

1. Combine and cook. Place the chopped tomatoes, celery, and onion into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20—25 minutes until the tomatoes have fully broken down and the vegetables are soft throughout.
2. Mill or strain. Run the cooked mixture through a food mill fitted with a fine disk, or press it through a fine-mesh strainer in batches. Discard the skins, seeds, and pulp. You should have approximately 8 cups of juice.
3. Season. Return the strained juice to the pot over low heat. Stir in the salt, black pepper, and sugar if using. Taste and adjust seasoning. Heat through for 5 minutes, stirring gently.
4. Add lemon juice. Stir in the lemon juice. This step is important if you are canning the juice for shelf storage—it ensures safe acidity levels.
5. For refrigerator use. Let cool, then transfer to clean jars or a pitcher. Refrigerate for up to one week. Shake or stir before serving.
6. For canning. Ladle hot juice into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes (pints) or 45 minutes (quarts). Remove, cool undisturbed for 12 hours, and check seals before storing.

Nutrition (per serving, approximately 1 cup)

Calories: 48 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg