Catsup! Ketchup! Or whatever it's called
The tomatoes are bountiful. TOO bountiful for a family of 3 and a few friends. So, I decided to make catsup. Mom made it once a long, long time ago when I was a little kid and at first I didn't like it. However, after having nothing but homemade sauce (and being a catsup fiend) it started growing on me, and by the time it was gone I didn't want to go back to the storebought stuff. Alas, the process of making catsup was more than Mom was willing to go through more than once, so all I had were fond memories.
Until yesterday. Mom gave me the paperback Fannie Farmer cookbook she got the recipe from and a 5 gal pickle bucket filled with tomatoes. I coarsely chopped ten lbs of slightly-passed-their-prime homegrown tomatoes with a couple large onions and half a head of garlic and simmered for a few hours. Since I didn't peel the tomatoes (which WAS called for, but I took the shortcut) I pulled as much of the peel out of the pot as I could. I was also too lazy to borrow Mom's food mill to process the pulp, so I popped it in the blender and pureed until smooth. Added the spices and simmered until it was reduced. I misjudged the amount I had in the pot and was able to fill 3 pint jars and one qt jar with a good 8 oz left over. So, it all went back in the pot and simmered for awhile longer. When I poured the catsup into the jars THIS time, I had about 4 pints; the upper end of what the recipe called for. I figure since I didn't remove anything with a food mill that I'd get more yield.
And here they are; although they've been processed in a hot bath (my first non-jam attempt at canning) and have sealed, I don't trust my process and the recipe enough to store them anywhere but in the fridge; the recipe didn't have canning instructions so I downloaded the free canning guide at www.USDA.gov and followed their directions. The partially filled jar is almost gone, it was SOOO good on french fries! So good that Hubby asked if I was planning on making more! Oh, and for the curious; the little dark spot on the middle jar is a bit of whole clove that slipped away from me.
Until yesterday. Mom gave me the paperback Fannie Farmer cookbook she got the recipe from and a 5 gal pickle bucket filled with tomatoes. I coarsely chopped ten lbs of slightly-passed-their-prime homegrown tomatoes with a couple large onions and half a head of garlic and simmered for a few hours. Since I didn't peel the tomatoes (which WAS called for, but I took the shortcut) I pulled as much of the peel out of the pot as I could. I was also too lazy to borrow Mom's food mill to process the pulp, so I popped it in the blender and pureed until smooth. Added the spices and simmered until it was reduced. I misjudged the amount I had in the pot and was able to fill 3 pint jars and one qt jar with a good 8 oz left over. So, it all went back in the pot and simmered for awhile longer. When I poured the catsup into the jars THIS time, I had about 4 pints; the upper end of what the recipe called for. I figure since I didn't remove anything with a food mill that I'd get more yield.
And here they are; although they've been processed in a hot bath (my first non-jam attempt at canning) and have sealed, I don't trust my process and the recipe enough to store them anywhere but in the fridge; the recipe didn't have canning instructions so I downloaded the free canning guide at www.USDA.gov and followed their directions. The partially filled jar is almost gone, it was SOOO good on french fries! So good that Hubby asked if I was planning on making more! Oh, and for the curious; the little dark spot on the middle jar is a bit of whole clove that slipped away from me.
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