Life without ... store bought Ketchup

 It was time again to make more ketchup on Monday. I had maybe enough left to make one more sandwich for hubby for work on Tuesday. Yeah, he likes mayo on one side & ketchup on the other. Not to mention he enjoys ketchup on many other things as well.

So Monday I tried another recipe. I found this one online somewhere …

This one was so simple. Directions stated to simply mix together & let chill overnight for flavors to meld together. Seriously? That simple? We’ll see.

6 oz tomato paste

1/4 cup water (used ¾ c total, great consistency)

2 tbsp vinegar

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt         

1 pinch clove

1 pinch allspice

1 pinch cayenne pepper (didn’t use, I had none at home)

1/4 cup brown sugar

This time, I made no alterations other than the amount of water used. Using the quarter cup just made it way too thick for us. And I had no cayenne pepper at home (can you believe that?). I mixed everything together with a wire whisk, as the recipe said. Had a small taste & was impressed. So I stuck the whole bowl & whisk in the fridge. Hubby would be home in an hour & I’d let him taste. He too was impressed, letting me know he liked this one much better than the last one.

This time, I got 2 very full half pint jars out of it. I went & bought some lids for refrigerator use so I was not always using the lid & seal deal … save those for actual canning use!

So yes … seriously that simple.And I do believe I can now say we have a life without ... store bought ketchup!

Making Ketchup at home

It’s been on my “make it” list for awhile now. But, I was waiting to use up my stock of store bought organic ketchup before I started making my own.

My store bought ketchup was the Private Selection brand from my local Fred Meyer store. Well, the last bottle was about to be gone, last week. So, the hunt began for a recipe to try for the first batch. I didn’t want to make a lot until we found a recipe we both really liked.

I asked on my Facebook wall if anyone had a recipe. My friend from a coupon group I belong to, shared hers with me.

Rani’s Ketchup

6 oz can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons brown Sugar Twin (organic brown sugar, 3 Tbsp total)

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (didn’t have, left out)

1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (organic acv, 3 Tbsp total)

1/2 can of water, divided (used a whole can, full 6oz, could use more)

1/2 tablespoon oil  (left out)

1/8 teaspoon salt (optional) (used, sea salt, just a dash)

Combine all ingredients and quarter a can of water.

Cook over low-medium heat in a sturdy pan, until it cooks down a bit and begins to darken slightly.

Add more water as necessary and continue cooking down.

Adjust the allspice and Brown Sugar Twin to taste.

Continue adding water and cooking down to desired consistency.

Okay, so I had a starting point. I made a few alterations, which gave us a nice flavor & consistency, for a first try. My changes are in the ( ) above. The taste will change slightly as it sits in the fridge it seems. So, next time, we’ll use just a tad less ACV if we make this recipe again.Or, we'll try it with just white vinegar.

There are a ton of recipes out there for homemade tomato paste ketchup. Depending on what you like, you’ll be sure to find one that suits your taste to a tee … and the best part is you can use whatever you want! All the recipes are just a starting point!

The photo above got taken after we'd already used up some ... there was enough to almost fill that second jar. And, it was thick. Thinner ketchup will obviously get you a bit more.