How To Make Ketchup From Scratch
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 7 pints 1x
- Category: Condiments
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
Scale
- 24 pounds tomatoes, fresh or frozen*
- 3 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups cane sugar
- 1/4 cup canning salt
- 3 Tablespoons celery seed
- 4 teaspoons whole cloves
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- garlic powder to taste
- chili powder to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Quarter 24 pounds of whole tomatoes or use frozen ones that are already cut up*.
- If you do not have that many, simply put the tomatoes you have on a scale to find out how many pounds you do have, then do the math to change the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.
- Place the frozen tomatoes in the top of the Mehu-Liisa.
- Turn the heat to medium and allow the Menu-Liisa to extract the juice from the pulp.
- While the tomatoes are juicing add three cups cider vinegar to a large saucepan.
- Cut a piece of cheesecloth and put the celery seed and cloves into it, then tie it up and place it inside a tea ball.
- Put the tea ball and the cinnamon sticks into the pan with the vinegar.
- Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cover.
- Allow this to sit for 25 minutes then pour it into a glass container and allow it to cool. Once it is cool, remove the tea ball and the cinnamon sticks.
- Place tomatoes into the spiced vinegar, add one teaspoon of cayenne pepper and boil.
- Reduce the heat once the mixture begins to boil and cook for thirty minutes.
- The mixture should begin to thicken.
- Add ¼ cup canning salt and 1 ½ cups sugar.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 45 minutes.
- The mixture will reduce by half and be about the consistency of store bought ketchup.
- While it is cooking, add garlic powder, chili powder and black pepper to taste.
- For a smooth ketchup, ladle the mixture into a blender and liquefy it.
- To preserve, ladle into hot, sterilized pint jars leaving ½ inch headspace.
- Wipe jar rim, place sterilized lids and bands on making sure they are snug.
- Process in a cold pack canner for fifteen minutes, remove canner lid.
- Let the jars sit for five minutes, then remove them.
- When the jars are completely cooled, check to make sure they are sealed.
- If not, use immediately or put on a new lid and reseal.
Notes
*I freeze my whole tomatoes in season and then make the ketchup once the gardening season is over using the frozen tomatoes.
