Help me make homemade ketchup

[Gigi's Mommy]

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help me with this as I would love to have ketchup again, but don't want to eat what I've found (so far) in the stores. It can't be that hard!

I got "Nourishing Traditions" for Christmas, and she has you use whey (we can't - severe dairy allergy here) and fish sauce (possible fish allergy as well). Does someone have another recipe / method they can share?

TIA!

[Taedareth]

I don't have another recipe but I'm glad you're avoiding the fermented fish sauce because it gave the ketchup an unbearably fishy flavor/odor! Ugh! (I happen to hate fish though.)

[velcromom]

I made coconut milk yogurt cheese last week and got "coconut whey" not true whey but certainly must have the culture in it, maybe that could be used instead of dairy whey.

I'm with you on the fish sauce, perhaps there's an organic worcestershire-type condiment that would work instead. But watch out for the anchovies some kinds include.

[Ruthla]

I have a recipe that's basically tomato paste, vinegar, spices, and your choice of sweetener. I used apple cider vinegar and stevia, but it would probably work great with honey or dehydrated cane juice.

It's in the other computer, so I can't print it for you now.

I've also bought Hunt's organic ketchup, as my kids don't like the stevia-sweetened kind I made for myself.

[Gigi's Mommy]

Thanks for your replies, ladies. I've got a pot bubbling on the stove right now, similar to what Ruthla posted, from home canned tomatoes... Will see how it turns out.

Thanks!

[quietserena]

Can anyone post a recipe?

I should try making it...

[umsami]

Here's the recipe from the Hillbilly Housewife. It looks a lot like my grandma's recipe.

http://healthy.hillbillyhousewife.co...adeketchup.htm

Here's the Epicurious version:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/109037

No doubt... you can change the sweetener... but I'm OK with brown sugar over HFCS. (Maybe barley malt syrup would work?)

[quietserena]

How long does home made ketchup last? The epicurious site mentions three weeks - I'd never go through so much ketchup in three weeks!

[Pinky Tuscadero]

Ruthla,
I would love to see your recipe. I'd like to try making some with apple cider vinegar and honey but am unsure of the amounts and the spices that would taste good.

[tankgirl73]

I made some just a couple weeks ago, the recipe was blended and modified from a few different sources. The first batch was way too strong (spices and vinegar) and I didn't have onions, so I cooked up some almost-plain tomatoes and onions and mixed the batches together, and it came out great!

I'll dig out my amended recipe and post it when I get a chance...

I can't imagine it would spoil anytime soon, it's got so much vinegar in it. I keep the extra in a jar in the fridge, and filled my old 'commercial' squeeze bottle too. If you made a lot, you could just can it (tomato product with acid, probably need a 40 minute water process I'm guessing? Shouldn't be hard to look up anyway...)

[quietserena]

You guys, this thread is totally nudging me in the ketchup direction.

I thought it had to be fermented! And to use whey! But the recipes I'm seeing that use tomato paste and vinegar, that seems like it'll work!

I thought about it some and yeah, I think it'll keep, being as acidic as it is. Might grow a bloom but that's not an issue.

[tabitha]

ketchup really only needs 5 or 10 minutes water bath to keep, put it in sterile jars while it is hot with sterile lids.

we had mixed results last year when i made several attempts at ketchup. i tried several regular canning recipes first but they tasted more like barbeque sauce to me. the one i liked the best was my own creation from one of the other recipes, with ACV, honey, cloves, cinnamon salt and pepper and garlic, but no onions. unfortunately it took a long time to come up with this solution and i have many, many jars of substandard stuff.

someone's post about ribs makes me want to cook some ribs with the not-so-ketchupy jars, though!

[jenmary]

I have two similar recipes,

one from the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" -- about sneaking in extra veggies, vitamins, etc...

1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 C carrot puree
1/4 C water
2 Tbsp apple-cider vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp firmly packed light or dark brown sugar (opt)
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. chili powder; or to taste

Stir all the ingredients together in a big saucepan and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture has reduced by about half, 15-20 min. Let cool before serving.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze in 1/4 C amts in zipper lock snack bags for up to 3 months.

and another version, also wheat/dairy free :

I Can't Believe I Have Been Buying Ketchup for 37 years!

ketchup

1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Mix together, cover and refrigerate. Remember that when you make things from scratch, they don't have as many preservatives (good and bad). You are going to have to use it up in a month or so.

[tanyalynn]

Remember that when you make things from scratch, they don't have as many preservatives (good and bad). You are going to have to use it up in a month or so.

Seems like it would freeze okay, wouldn't it? With a bit of headroom for expansion?

ETA: FWIW, I made the NT ketchup without whey and with half the fish sauce it called for, and it was okay, but the downsides were: it was a lot thicker than store-bought ketchup, it was lumpy (I should have used a stick blender to thoroughly puree everything), and it was a lot less sweet than store-bought. So I've been considering trying again with a few modifications, I just haven't gotten around to it (and I think I need a cute squeeze bottle to sell the idea to the kids).