We get the bulk of our produce from a local organic farm through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. Once a week, we go to the farm and pick up our share of veggies, fruits, and berries. We get different things each week, depending on what's in season and what's available. I love it. We've gotten things we never would've tried otherwise, and before we started this diet, the desire to eat things before they were wasted got us to eat more vegetables.
This week, I was picking out tomatoes and one of the workers explained that the pretty red tomatoes were the ones available for CSA members, not the less-pretty heirloom tomatoes. She said the heirlooms were being boxed up to be sold for making sauce. They were the blemished, the scarred, the rejects. They were $15 for 10 pounds.
That's $1.50 a pound. For organic, heirloom, super fresh, locally grown tomatoes. I couldn't pass that up, so I brought a box home.
Even blemished, they were beautiful. I should've taken a picture. There were reddish-purple tomatoes, green tomatoes, orange tomatoes, yellow tomatoes.
I spent one night, after Shelby was sleeping, peeling and deseeding all the tomatoes. I decided to use some to make a sauce to go with some chicken, and to make ketchup out of the rest.
The next night, I wasn't feeling well. We'd gone to the fair, and it's safe to say that none of us made wise food choices. But it's the fair! It only happens once a year, and what's a fair without fair food? I complained a bit about how icky I felt, to James. Then apologized, because it doesn't seem right to complain about my fairly minor gastrointestinal distress to someone who experiences much worse, much of the time. And then I said, "I'm not doing anything with those tomatoes tonight because I don't feel good." Complete with pouty face and everything.
I heard myself say that, and I thought, what a bunch of crap. James never feels good, and he doesn't sit there doing nothing. He doesn't even make a pouty face about it.
So instead of doing nothing and feeling sorry for myself, I went ahead and pulled out the tomatoes I'd need for the sauce, got the vinegar soaking up some flavor for the ketchup, and pureed the rest of the tomatoes.
And since we have no food mill, I pureed the tomatoes by hand, with a little baby food grinder that is older than I am. Seriously. My mother used it to make baby food for my older sister.
Obviously, I like to torture myself.
Anyway. Tonight, I took the vinegar and the pureed tomatoes and made a bunch of ketchup. I didn't take pictures, but I thought I'd at least share how I make it, because it is TASTY. I'm not a ketchup person, and I've already had several spoonfuls. (If you just want the bare-bones recipe, feel free to scroll to the bottom.)
First, peel and deseed all the tomatoes. Get a pot of water boiling, and prepare a bowl of ice water. Use a sharp knife to remove the core from the top of each tomato, then cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato. Put the tomatoes in the boiling water until the skin starts to wrinkle and/or split, then use a slotted spoon to move them to the ice water. After they're cool to the touch, the peels should peel right off. Deseeding is a bit trickier. I cut the tomatoes into quarters (or smaller), then use the knife to scrape the seeds out. Some people squeeze the tomatoes over a sieve. I don't have one. Just like with the baby food grinder, I make do with what I have.
Next, puree those tomatoes. You could probably use a food processor, if your baby isn't sleeping right next to your kitchen. If you've got a super fancy food mill, use that. (I bet if you have a super fancy food mill, you already know how to make ketchup.) If you have an ancient baby food grinder, do it all by hand a few tomato pieces at a time, like I do. If you have none of these things, you can cut the tomatoes into small pieces, then mash them as they cook. Your ketchup will be lumpier, but it will still taste damn good.
Don't forget the vinegar! You can use plain ole apple cider vinegar. I prefer organic, unprocessed vinegar, but any kind will do. If you want Super Tasty Ketchup, the night before you're going to make the ketchup, marinate things in the vinegar to give it some flavor. What things? Any things! I micro-plane carrot and zucchini, dice onion, mince garlic, and put it all in a glass bowl that has a lid. I add a small handful of crushed red pepper, some peppercorns, some cloves, a cinnamon stick, and some anise. And a bay leaf. I get a little carried away, and anything I use for seasoning that isn't powdered will end up in the bowl. Cover all that goodness with 1 1/2 to 2 cups of apple cider vinegar and put it in the fridge for a day or two. When you're ready to make ketchup, strain it through some cheesecloth. Or an unused knee-high nylon works well.
Put the pureed tomatoes in a deep pot. Use one that is deeper than you think you need. If you've made a thick tomato-based sauce before, you probably already know that as the ketchup thickens, it will spit burning hot droplets of liquid at you. (A good reason not to make ketchup sans clothing.)
Add about a cup of the flavored vinegar and a couple tablespoons of honey. I use local raw honey. Much like with this ketchup, I'm not a honey person, but raw honey I can eat by the spoonful. The amounts don't have to be accurate, but err on the side of less if you're unsure.
Turn the burner to medium and slowly bring those tomatoes to an almost-simmer. I like to see bubbles if I stop stirring, but no bubbles while stirring. (That spitting thing again.)
You'll be camped out with this pot for a while. I turn the heat down if it starts bubbling too much. We like our ketchup somewhat thick, so it ends up reduced by more than half. I haven't timed how long it takes, but it does take a while.
When it starts getting close to the thickness you want, have a taste. Add salt, more vinegar, more honey, until the flavor is exactly what you want. See that? It's already better than store bought.
Then just keep stirring until it's reached your desired level of thickness. Let it cool and store it however you want. I hear it cans well, but I haven't embarked on canning adventures yet, and ketchup doesn't last long around James anyway. I also hear it freezes well, but doesn't freeze completely solid, so you end up with some kind of ketchup slushie living in your freezer. Come to think of it, I bet Shelby would love that. She's got her daddy's love of ketchup and my love of weird frozen things.
Making ketchup is a lot of work, but if you have enough tomatoes to make a big batch, it's totally worth it. Especially since SCD-legal store-bought ketchup is impossible to find (and probably doesn't taste anywhere near as yummy).
SCD Legal Ketchup
10 lbs tomatoes
1 1/2-2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 (or more) tbs honey
salt
Things to flavor the vinegar (whole spices, diced onion, minced garlic, micro planed/chopped/grated veggies)
Place whole spices (peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, celery seeds, etc.), onion, garlic, veggies (carrot, celery, zucchini, etc.), and vinegar in a covered container to marinate for 24 hours or more. Strain through cheesecloth.
Peel, deseed, and puree the tomatoes. Combine tomatoes, vinegar, and honey in a large pot. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently (or continuously) until thick. Add salt and additional vinegar and/or honey to taste. Continue cooking and stirring until desired thickness is reached.
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