Grandma’s Tomato Catsup (Ketchup) is one of the Top 10 most requested recipes from my Mom’s/Grandmother’s collection. I found a couple of different recipes in Mom’s recipes and I was not really sure which one she used.
I must confess that I really did not like homemade tomato catsup when I was young. . .even not so young. I remember the smell (it smelled great), the appearance, and the taste of Mom’s catsup. I remember her and my grandmother making it at our house. I remember helping her make it when I was older. However, I also remember Dad and I wanted thick, commercially bottled ketchup, so we would only eat Heinz.
It has only been in recent years that I have been really wanting my mom’s catsup. I do not have a clue as to what prompted my craving, nevertheless. . .
I picked one of the recipes and made it. It tasted just like what my mom used to make. It was a darker red and thicker than I remember my mom’s catsup. I think this is in part because I cooked the tomato juice down further than my mom, grandmother, and other relatives who made catsup had the inclination or time to do.
I use whatever slicer/canning tomatoes I can buy. We rarely, if ever, made catsup from a paste variety of tomatoes. However, paste varieties definitely can be used.
Other than reducing the juice more, I did make another change to the recipe…I used brown sugar instead of white. Yes, I know that it is a major change, but I have been using brown sugar in tomato-based recipes for years…prompted in part because I use so many commercially canned tomatoes. I like the slight difference in the flavor of the brown sugar over the white sugar in tomato sauces. I think my mom and grandma would approve.
Grandma’s Tomato Catsup (Ketchup)
Ingredients
- 1 peck of ripe tomatoes (about 14 lbs.)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped
- water
- 2 Tbsp. pickling spice mix
- 1 Tbsp. whole cloves
- 2 Tbsp. whole allspice
- 1 Tbsp. celery seed
- 6-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 Tbsp. paprika
- 1 Tbsp. canning/pickling salt
- 2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 c. vinegar (5% acidity)
Instructions
- Wash, core, and cut tomatoes.
- Place the tomatoes, peppers, and onions into large kettles/pots.
- Add 1/4 to 1/2 c. water to each pot of tomatoes
- Cook until the tomatoes soften and break down, stirring enough to prevent sticking.
- (The original recipe, before my mom and grandma revised it, stated to place cooked tomato mixture in a clean, new pillowcase and hang or squeeze to drain. I remember doing this when I was very young, but we did not do this after getting a Foley food mill).
- Run the tomato mixture through a food mill or strainer.
- Clean out the kettle/pot and return tomato juice to it.
- Bring tomato juice to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Place pickling spice mix, cloves, allspice, and celery seed in a spice bag or tie them in muslin/cheesecloth.
- Add the spice bag and cinnamon stick(s) to the boiling juice.
- Continue boiling the tomato juice to reduce the volume by half (if using paste tomatoes, it may not need to reduce as much), stirring enough to prevent sticking.
- Add sugar, paprika, salt, and vinegar to the tomato juice.
- Reduce heat and simmer tomato mixture until thickened to the desired catsup(ketchup) consistency, stirring frequently.
- Ladle into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace.
- Clean jar rim with damp towel.
- Cap with a hot sterilized flat lid and hand tighten ring.
- Process in a water bath canner for the USDA recommended length of time for your altitude, 10 minutes at 1,000 ft.
- Leave to sit at least 12 hours after removing from water bath before storing.