Canned Bloody Mary Mix

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1Wash 7 quart jars, bands, and new lids in hot soapy water and keep the jars hot until ready to fill.
2. 2Simmer the new lids in hot water per the manufacturer's instructions.
3. 3Wash the tomatoes, score an X on the bottom, blanch 30 to 60 seconds in boiling water, cool in ice water, slip off the skins, cut out the cores, and quarter the tomatoes.
4. 4Simmer the quartered tomatoes with the celery and onion in a large pot, crushing as they heat, for about 15 minutes until very soft, keeping the celery and onion at or below the amounts listed here.
5. 5Run the mixture through a food mill or fine sieve to produce a smooth, thin juice, then return it to the pot, stir in the horseradish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, black pepper, and hot sauce, and bring back to a boil.
6. 6Add the required acid directly to each hot, empty jar before filling: 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid per quart jar (half that per pint), plus salt if using.
7. 7Fill the jars with the hot mix, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace since this is a thin, pourable liquid.
8. 8Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic tool, wipe the rims clean, center the lids, and screw the bands on fingertip tight.
9. 9Process in a boiling-water canner, jars covered by 1 to 2 inches of water, timing from a full rolling boil: 35 minutes for pints and 40 minutes for quarts at 0-1,000 ft, adding 5 minutes at 1,001-3,000 ft, 10 minutes at 3,001-6,000 ft, 15 minutes at 6,001-8,000 ft, or 20 minutes above 8,000 ft.
10. 10Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes, then move the jars with a jar lifter to a towel-lined counter and let cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
11. 11Press each lid to confirm sealing, label with contents, acid added, and date, and refrigerate any jar that did not seal.
12. 12Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place up to about 1 year; refrigerate after opening and use within about a week, stirring in vodka or extra hot sauce only at serving time, not before canning.
13. 13Keep the celery and onion within the amounts specified and never skip the bottled lemon juice or citric acid, since these small amounts of low-acid vegetables and seasonings do not change the tomatoes' need for added acid.