Jalapeno Ketchup

Some people who have known me for a while will swear I hate ketchup.  It's true that the products sold at most grocery stores I've found to be overly sweet and full of high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and what is really in the natural flavorings in my ketchup?  I lost faith in companies, to me it seems like they are always sneaking in something natural but not exactly healthful into my foods to save a penny on every bottle they sell.  My son adores ketchup, though.

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I used to buy Heinz Simply Ketchup.  I love that Heinz made a commitment to its customers to not use GMO tomatoes in any of its products.  The ingredients listed above are actually not that bad.  And from looking up what those "Natural ingredients" are, it's most likely MSG and/or citric acid.  MSG gets a bad rep.  For those who don't know what it is.  It was invented by a Japanese scientist and is just the sodium salt of glutamic acid.  Basically, it's indistinguishable from the salt in plants.  So, how is it made?  You start with glutamic acid bacteria, and you feed them sugar.  This makes the little bacteria start fermenting, and the byproduct of their fermentation is salt.  So why is it bad then?  Honestly, if you buy a Japanese (Korean brands are fine as well) brand like Ajinomoto (this is my favorite brand), nothing, unless you need to watch your salt intake.  MSG tastes salty, but actually contains 1/3 the sodium of regular salt.  But Chinese brands have been tested and found to contain heavy metals in their MSG.  So, unless you know what MSG a company uses, it's best to avoid MSG in foods.

So what made me start making my own ketchup?  My son puts ketchup on everything.  I blame this book, Chrysanthemum.  I bought it for my son because he has an unusual name for where we lived when he was little.  The little girl, Chrysanthemum, also has an unusual name and is bullied about it at school.  Basically, long story short, it's a great book about bullying and what parents can do to help their children's self-esteem.  Chrysanthemum's favorite food was macaroni and cheese with ketchup on top.  So my son would not eat macaroni and cheese without ketchup on it after reading the book.  Shh, he still prefers not to.....20 years later, lol.

I've priced the ingredients for making your own ketchup.  It costs about the same as buying it at the store.  I started making my own because I regularly have about 25 lbs of tomatoes at my house that I need to use up.  Plus, if you buy brands that don't contain "Natural Ingredients," they are usually around $12 a bottle.  If that is the case, this is a bargain and costs about $3 for a 24-oz jar.  I've cut my canning recipe down to a much smaller recipe.  I created it from the best things in 4 different Amish ketchup recipes I have.  No, this recipe doesn't ask you to use 25 lbs of tomatoes, but you can if you want to.  This recipe makes about 5-6 8-oz jars.  If you are looking for these bottles below, I found a double pack of them for $7.39.  I love putting my ketchup in one and my bourbon bbq sauce in the other.

Jalapeno Ketchup

6 lbs of Roma or Cherry tomatoes (canning tomatoes), chopped and cored

1/4 lb sweet onions, chopped

8 oz jalapeno peppers, chopped and deseeded

8 oz bell peppers, chopped and deseeded

3 cups white vinegar

1 1/2 cups raw sugar

1/8 cup pink salt

1 tbsp dry mustard

1 1/2 tsp jalapeno powder (optional)

1 1/2 tsp whole allspice

1 1/2 tsp whole cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp celery seed

A lot of recipes are going to tell you to peel the tomatoes.  Well, I have done commercial level canning and I can tell you none of the big name ketchup companies peel their tomatoes....they don't even core them usually.  I know people who refuse to eat ketchup when they see the state of tomatoes used to make commercial ketchup.  Most companies will strain out everything and just use the juice.  I core mine, but honestly, I run everything through the blender, and the pureed skin doesn't bother me.  If it bothers you, though, feel free to peel your tomatoes.  It's never affected the preservation of my ketchup long term.  

Add the tomatoes, onions, and peppers to a large pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 60 minutes.  At this point, I puree the mixture with a stick blender.  Take the allspice, cloves, and cinnamon and tie them up in a cheesecloth bag.  If you don't have this, add the allspice and cloves to a tea ball.  Both will work equally well.  Add the vinegar, salt, sugar, and your cheesecloth bag or tea ball along with the mustard, jalapeno powder, and celery seed.  If using the tea ball, throw the cinnamon stick in loosely; it will have to be fished out later, though.  Boil the mixture until it becomes very thick, and its volume has been reduced by half.  Remove the cheesecloth bag or tea ball, and cinnamon stick.  Fill jars with a 1/8 inch headspace. 

Waterbath the jars according to your elevation level.  0-1000 ft 15 minutes.  1001-6000 ft 20 minutes.  6001-8000 ft 25 minutes.

Variations

For Habanero Ketchup, substitute 3 habanero peppers for the jalapeno peppers and use poblano peppers to make up the volume

Chipotle Ketchup roast the jalapeno peppers over a grill until the skin is charred.  Put them into a plastic bag for 10 minutes and remove the charred skin and seeds before adding to the tomato mixture.

Isn't ketchup technically a fruit smoothie?

 - Arizona Tape, Beyond The Northern Lights

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