Homemade Ketchup

So a few years ago i started making our own Ketchup. I am one of those people that only likes Heinz, but like so many products, it has High Fructose Corn Syrup in it, and Mike couldn't eat corn so I thought, as i seem to do, that i could make it. Now I had never made ketchup before and it seemed like it might be a long process. I found lots of recipes that started out with your own fresh tomatoes, but to be honest i just dont have that kind of time. So i do use a short cut and use canned tomato sauce. Honestly the best tomato sauce i found is Hunts, they don't use chemicals and it has a very fresh taste. I make about 6 gallons of Ketchup at a time and it has to boil down for about 3 hours.

My goal, of course was to make it as close to what Heinz tastes like. So i got a recipe, and tweaked it until i think i got it right.

And now, I don't think i can eat any other ketchup but my own.

Ketchup Recipe

10 cups of distilled vinegar

4 sticks of cinnamon

6 Tbs. Celery seed

8 tsp. whole cloves

5 tsp. whole allspice

4 #10 cans of Hunts tomato sauce

15 cups sugar

1/2 cup canning salt

1/2 cup onion powder

1/2 cup dry mustard

2 tsp. cayenne pepper

+ heat vinegar in a pot. turn off heat.

+put cinnamon sticks in vinegar. wrap celery seed, cloves and allspice in cheesecloth or paper tea bags. put in vinegar. let the spices steep in the hot vinegar for 15-20 minutes then remove.

+ mix the sugar, onion powder, cayenne pepper, mustard and salt together. this will prevent the mixture from clumping.

+ add all the tomato sauce, then the sugar mixture.

+ mix well

+ heat until the ketchup reaches a boil then reduce to a slow rolling boil, not a simmer.

+ be sure to stir often to keep from scalding on the bottom of the pan.

+ boil for about 3 hours or until very thick and can sheet off a spoon.

+ you can now can the mixture in large mason jars, or store in a plastic container.