There are some things that you can only make once or twice a year because of availability or cost. In this case, homemade tomato juice fills both those slots. It takes a LOT of tomatoes to make, so it would be cost-prohibitive to make any other season. Also, the tomatoes need to be really ripe to the point of being almost over ripe, so the end of summer crop is perfect for this amazing juice.

And because you are spicing it yourself you can make it as mild or mind numbing as you would like. We use ours for bloody marys, so I like to make it extra hot by using fresh chilies.

V8-Style Tomato Juice

12 very ripe large tomatoes or 4 pints of cherry tomatoes

2 large celery stalks, sliced

1 medium red onion, roughly chopped

1 small carrot, sliced

2 parsley stalks

1½ teaspoons of salt

Pepper

2 teaspoons of worcestershire

½ teaspoon of celery salt

For heat: If you would like it nice and hot, use 2 red chilies and roughly dice them. For a medium spiced juice use several dashes of Tabasco sauce - or Sriracha, if you're garlic inclined. Or you could leave it out all together for a mild flavor.

If using large tomatoes, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and slice a small “x” in the bottom of each one. Drop the tomatoes in 6 at a time and cook for 1 minute. Scoop out the tomatoes with a skimmer and remove to a large bowl of ice water. Repeat with the other 6 tomatoes. When the tomatoes are cool, remove the skins and roughly chop them. If you're using cherry tomatoes, skip that step and just halve them.

Place tomatoes in a large saucepan a cook on medium low heat with all of the other ingredients and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When all of the vegetables are soft let the sauce cool for a few minutes, remove parsley stems and puree in a blender or food processor.

If the juice it too thick, thin it out with a little water.

Or you could thin it out with vodka for the perfect bloody mary.

Makes 3 ½ cups of vegetable juice.

(Photo of bloody mary by Jedd Kettler, all others by Launie Kettler.)