Money-saving Vegetable Juice
I love tomato juice and especially tomato vegetable juice.
I have a problem with salt, even natural salt.
I do not like to spend a lot of money.
So, I make my own vegetable or tomato juice.
Tomato juice labels state that they contain tomato paste, water and salt.
Tomato paste usually has only tomatoes listed on the label.
Tomato sauce has all kinds of ingredients on the labels
Tomato sauce used to be just tomato paste, salt and water.

But have you ever read the labels on the cans of the tomato/vegetable juices?
Yeah, after drinking one of those, in an aluminum can perhaps,
one day I hit myself on the forehead, saying
" I coulda' made that myself!"

It is so simple, has salt only if you want to add salt.
I do not believe good salt is bad for you, I just can't have it in the amounts
that is in already prepared juices.
Three ingredients make a pitcherful in a couple of minutes.
Here's what I do:

Quick Vegetable-Tomato Juice

• I buy organic tomato paste in a box of 24 cans. I use one small can for a pitcherful.
• If  I have homemade tomato sauce or paste I use that.
• I put the paste in a glass pitcher.
• I buy no-salt organic seasoning which has many vegetables, spices and herbs in it. 
• I use a whisk to mix the two together with water to suit my taste.
• Refrigerate a little while for the seasonings to soften
• That's it! 

I like mine a little thin, over ice with a couple shakes of hot pepper sauce and some 

black pepper. My husband likes a couple squeezes of lemon in it too.
That's it. It tastes amazingly like the "real" thing.

Now, if you want another idea for that kind of juice only spicy, this is what I do
to sort of kill two birds with one stone:
When we have had a garden and have lots of tomatoes I like to make
salsa. I make a cooked salsa---if I want raw I make it right when I
plan to use it. I have not liked the outcome of
canning or freezing raw salsa. We get many pounds of tomatoes from our
25 to 100 tomato plants (depending on the size of our garden each season) so we have to use
a lot at one time.
Here's what I do:

Kill-Two-Birds-With-One-Stone Spicy Vegetable Juice

• Following a safe recipe I add all the ingredients for my salsa in a large non-aluminum pot. I simmer it until the tomatoes turn red and I've skimmed off the foam. I used to cook this for hours in order for it to be the right consistency but got tired of that and discovered what I do now. 
• Once the batch has turned dark red I turn off the heat. This takes several minute depending on pan size.
• I get out 2 canning jar funnels, a strainer that fits in the jar funnels, a ladle and a soup spoon.
• I take out two of my sterilized canning jars in any size I wish.
• I ladle the sauce into the strainer which is in the funnel which is in the jar.
• I use the soup spoon to stir the sauce around in the strainer so it drains better.
• I put what is left in the strainer into the other canning jar. I do this as often as the strainer gets
  plugged up.
• I end up with more thick sauce than the thinner juice. 
• I can them as per recipe and following the most recent directions for canning safely. Your County
  Extension Office will send you, free of charge, information on the most recent safe-canning info or you may be able to download or copy their information online.

When we want vegetable juice we just take a pitcher, 

pour the homemade, homegrown juice in it, add tomato paste to thicken if it needs it
which it usually does. Pour it over ice or chill it first to 

enjoy a nice spicy vegetable juice. 

We just love this juice and it has the added advantage of quickening the cooking
time for the salsa, which preserves nutrients, it handles freezing well,
and it is inexpensive.
It's also great to add to soups and sauces or add pasta or rice to, heat it up and
have as a mug of soup!

So, you can save money, only spend a little time, preserve nutrients, avoid aluminum,
omit artificial flavorings, sprayed produce and excessive amounts of salt.
 and added only what you like.
How good is that?
Hope you enjoy this!
Kathi~