Homemade Ketchup

I love canning my own ketchup… now. This was not always the case. The first time I canned ketchup was with my oldest son. The ketchup recipe we made had all these amazing spices in it, but it took hours to cook down and in the end tasted like cheap ketchup we could buy for a minimal price at the grocery store. We swore off homemade ketchup for a number of years. When I decided to revisit making ketchup my son’s response was something like, “WHY??!!” I think I just like a challenge and I was determined to come up with an awesome recipe. I was able to come up with a ketchup recipe that tastes like ketchup but with a twist being a far cry above the cheap market store variety. More importantly, I was able to reduce the cooking time drastically by pulling out the juice early.

“💕◟( •⌄• )◞◟( •⌄• )◞💕 WOW! Seriously WOW! My daughter hates Ketchup, I mean she gags and vomits when she eats store brought versions… so I never thought she would want it on a meal…Until today! We finished making a double batch of this (my son drinks ketchup) But since little miss wanted to learn to can this year we are learning to can our groceries …so she tried this… and we literally just made it 1 hour ago and half a jar is gone! Vanished! Evaporated into her tiny, contented tummy! She is literally eating it from the jar with a spoon and carrot sticks! Thank you, Lovely culinary angels! 💕◟( •⌄• )◞◟( •⌄• )◞💕” — Nerainer Ridgeway, YouTube Subscriber

this recipe makes 6-pints of ketchup.

Ingredients:

• 13 pounds quartered Tomatoes

• 1 chopped Onion

• 1/2 chopped Sweet Pepper

• 1 Tbsp minced Garlic

• 2 Tbsp Water

• 1/2 Cup Sugar

• 1 1/2 Tsp Celery Seed

• 1/2 Tsp Allspice

• 1 Tbsp Paprika

• 1 Tsp ground Dry Mustard

• 1 Tbsp Salt

• 1 Tsp Cinnamon

• 1 1/2 Cup Vinegar

Make Ketchup:

Soften the quartered tomatoes by simmering for about 20 minutes.

While this is softening combine the water, garlic, pepper, and onion. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Process the soft tomatoes through a food mill. Then place the pulp in a strainer (I like my husband’s honey strainer.) or cheesecloth to drain out the juice. Save the juice to be canned later. This step of straining the sauce allows you to skip the reducing down process which usually takes about 2-3 hours to do. If for some reason the sauce seems too thick you can add some of the juice back in.

Place the strained pulp in a blender and add the onion mixture and blend finely.

Add the blended mixture and the rest of the ingredients to a large pot. Cook until it reaches a simmer. Simmer to desired thickness.

Canning Ketchup Process:

Using a jar funnel, fill the jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight and process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.

Once your sauce has completed processing, turn off the heat, remove the lid and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Then, space the jars 1-2 inches apart on a heat resistant surface for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.

If your jar did not seal, then place it in the fridge and use it immediately. Store the sealed jars in your pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes. The quality is best in the first year.

If you have any questions about canning with a pressure canner or how to adjust the pressure or processing time for altitude, take a look at my canning basics videos.