Ketchup is one of those things I would be SUPER sad to live without. And I am a ketchup snob. It HAS to be Heinz. No Hunts, no store brand. It’s Heinz or it may as well not exist.
So yesterday I did my first attempt at making and canning my own ketchup.
It’s not exactly like Heinz- meaning I can taste the spices more. But it’s a pretty close substitute that will do in a pinch! Plus I know exactly what’s in it- and it’s made of fresh garden tomatoes!
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 22 lbs tomatoes
- 4 c white vinegar
- 3 c sugar
- 5 T salt
- 1 T onion powder
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/2 t ground cloves
- 1/2 t allspice
- 1/2 t cayenne pepper
- 46 oz (8 small cans) tomato paste
- 1/3 c Clear gel or Thermflo
Instructions
Cut the stem off the tomatoes and quarter them. Place in a large stock pot and cook until a good rolling boil. (don't add water- the heat will draw liquid out of the tomatoes) Stirring occasionally.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, blend with a emulsifier, food processor, or for this batch I just used my blender until smooth. There will be seeds- if you don't want seeds you can strain it through a fine strainer.
Remove 1 1/2 cups and set aside.
Simmer until it reduces by half. I had about 7quarts at this point so I reduced it down to 3 1/2 quarts. It will take a few hours- just keep stirring it occasionally. You will need to stir it more often as it reduces so it doesn't burn.
Once it's reduced to half add the vinegar, sugar, salt, tomato paste, and all the seasonings.
Mix the clear gel or Thermflo with the reserved 1 1/2 cups of liquid and blend well then add to the rest of the ketchup.
Pour into clean canning jars, wipe the rim and screw on a lid and ring. Place in a water bath canner and make sure the water is 1/2-1 inch above the jars.
Process for 10 minutes plus any additional minutes according to your altitude. I'm at 5500 feet so I add 10 minutes and processed mine for 20 minutes. The processing time begins once the water in the canner is at a full roiling boil.
Remove from the canner and let cool. Be sure to label the jars with the month and year and what they are.
This made 4 quarts, 3 pints and a couple small fridge containers for my neighbors.
