Super Yummy Tomato Ketchup

We started making our own homemade ketchup many years ago. I was fed up with all the sugar and fructose glucose in the store bought ketchups so started making homemade for that real tomato flavour.

We have been making this other recipe for the past ten years or so, but was given this one to try and really liked the look/sound of it. I do not have the name of the book or the author, unfortunately, so cannot give credit where credit is due, but from what I understand, it is from a very old canning recipe book used by many in the UK.

When we made this batch, instead of red tomatoes, I decided to use up all my lovely green ones and try out the new ketchup recipe at the same time. These are not unripe tomatoes but beautiful, ripe, green tomatoes with a hint of either yellow or red undertones. See the beautiful red blush on the green tomato in the picture above.

The tomatoes that we used are Green Zebra, Lucky Tiger, Aunt Ruby’s German Green, and Dwarf Saucy Mary. I considered adding Ananas Noir but felt it had just a bit too much red in it and might make it muddy looking, but you certainly could.

Green tomatoes do not really taste any different than red ones, yellow ones, pink ones, black ones, etc… except better, in my opinion. The greens and blacks are always my favourites for fresh eating, love that rich, tomato taste. These tomatoes would also make a lovely looking green salsa, salsa verde, if you will ; )

Tomato Ketchup Recipe

• 12 medium to large ripe tomatoes

• 2 medium onions

• 1 pint vinegar

• 3 tablespoons of sugar (or to taste)

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

• 2 teaspoons allspice

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons cloves

• 2 teaspoons nutmeg

  Cut tomatoes into quarters, chop onions finely, place all ingredients into the pot, except the spices.

  Put cloves, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg into cheesecloth, tie with a string, and add to the tomato mix.

  Bring mix to a slow boil and cook for 2.5 hours or until it is the proper consistency.

  (We like to buzz it quickly with an immersion blender to make sure that it is silky smooth).

  Stir often to prevent scorching, especially towards the end, when the ketchup is getting thicker.

• Remove from heat, discard spice bag, and pour ketchup into prepared clean and sterile jars. Leave 1 cm (1/2 inch) of head space from the rim. Wipe the rims clean.

  Process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.

• 

  We buzz the sauce with an immersion blender to ensure a nice, smooth ketchup consistency. 

  
  

We made a couple of changes to the original recipe. They added the spices right into the ketchup, we use the cheesecloth bag instead and remove at the end of the cooking process.

We also added a titch more sugar as I found it to be a bit too vinegary for my taste. Adjust according to your taste buds.

We cook ours for much longer than the recipe calls for, probably twice as long. I think it is our induction stove that makes it take so much longer, as we seem to be able to cook down the tomato sauce much faster outside on the portable propane burner.

Do not be afraid to let it simmer away until you have the right consistency, no harm will come to it by allowing it to cook down to the right thickness. Remember, too, that it thickens up a wee bit more once it cools.

Place in whatever size jar that suits your family best, according to how quickly you use it up. I have mine in 250 ml jam jars but if you go through tons of ketchup each month, go with a 500 ml (pint) jar instead.

I absolutely love this recipe, tastes so fresh and good, really love that vinegary tomato flavour. Highly recommend this recipe, it tastes just like ketchup should.

Here is the other ketchup recipe that we have been making for years, we love them both, so hard to choose. Try them both, make a batch of each and see which one you like best - Best Ever Homemade Tomato Ketchup.

Green Tomato Ketchup

Happy Canning ~ Tanja