Homemade Catsup

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Gossie

Sous Chef
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Messages
524
Location
USA
I just put up a new thread for mustard and mayonnaise, but it got me to thinking. Is there a recipe for homemade catsup?
 
Found topsecretrecipes.com on the web, and it has a catsup recipe. It calls for tomato paste, do you think I can substitute fresh tomatoes somehow?
 
Well you would have to condense the tomatoes down into your own paste, cos ketchup is a thick sauce. By using them fresh, you are just taking the recipe back a couple of steps but I can't see any reason why you can't. How playful do you feel??
 
Well you would have to condense the tomatoes down into your own paste, cos ketchup is a thick sauce. By using them fresh, you are just taking the recipe back a couple of steps but I can't see any reason why you can't. How playful do you feel??

Hehehe Not so playful right now. I have that bug that's been going around, and standing up for any length of time is just a no go right now. Anyway, I'm too low on vinegar right now, and I don't feel like shopping. LoL But this intrigues me, I wanna do it!!!! Dad has a tomato garden and I can't use the tomatoes fast enough, this would be a good way to go. Hmmmmmm, now I have to figure out which type of tomatoes to use.

<heads off to do more research ... naw, I'll wait till when I feel better LoL>
 
For the purposes of having a go, go with whatever type of tomato you can lay your hands on that is free or cheap! You can refine your recipe with other varieties once you've got the basics of the recipe in hand.

Isn't there always some shocking person spreading a bug around!!! Obviously very generous people!! Personally I would prefer it if they gave something more useful!! LOL

Hope you are feeling better soon Gossie!
 
For the purposes of having a go, go with whatever type of tomato you can lay your hands on that is free or cheap! You can refine your recipe with other varieties once you've got the basics of the recipe in hand.

Isn't there always some shocking person spreading a bug around!!! Obviously very generous people!! Personally I would prefer it if they gave something more useful!! LOL

Hope you are feeling better soon Gossie!

Good point!!!! Not like I don't have enough to work with right now. :) I wish he would grow more plum tomatoes. Have you ever tried Sweet 100 tomatoes? YUMMY!!

I had a flu shot too, so it might be the bug and the shot working together right now. I don't usually get this deeply sick, usually is just a touch of this or that and it's over and done with. Then again, seems like I have a touch of something every Thanksgiving season. LoL Oh well. Thanks for the good wishes.
 
Good point!!!! Not like I don't have enough to work with right now. :) I wish he would grow more plum tomatoes. Have you ever tried Sweet 100 tomatoes? YUMMY!!
I don't think we get them over here, well at least I've never seen them in the shops, nurseries or heard them mentioned on the gardening or cooking shows.

I had a flu shot too, so it might be the bug and the shot working together right now. I don't usually get this deeply sick, usually is just a touch of this or that and it's over and done with.
When I first got kidney failure, I panicked and went out and got myself a shot and I was so sick!!! Never again! I now have a repressed immune system since the transplant and I still felt safer taking my chances with life!!!LOL

Then again, seems like I have a touch of something every Thanksgiving season. LoL Oh well. Thanks for the good wishes.
You probably get run down with all the planning and stress, making you more susceptible to bugs. Next year, you'll have to plan your health as well as the turkey!!LOL
 
Dad gets his tomato seeds from a place on the web, here's the url if you want to check them out: totallytomatoes.com

It has peppers too. LoL

You could probably grow sweet 100's in Australia, although I don't know if they can be shipped there. But at least you can get a picture of them. Well I think you can. I should have checked it out before I even said anything. hehe

EDIT: Cancel the totallytomatoes url, check out parkseed.com ... totallytomatoes doesn't have a website anymore. I think it's a sub of parkseed anyway. :)
 
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My favourite tomatoes at the mo are nectar tomatoes (similar to grape tomatoes but slightly rounder and larger), second are grape tommies. If I get a big 'un, I just go for a roma. Last year I had a good crop of mini romas. Haven't put any crops in this year. Too disorganised.

Sweet 100's are available in Australia as seeds (Mr Fothergills) - just checked after seeing your link. Learn something everyday! Doesn't of course mean they are available this side of the border! We are more strict with quarantine measures this side of the Nullabor. (As an aside, when I was a kid, when you went down south, there was an imaginary border about ninety minutes drive out of Perth where you were expected to stop and either eat or throw away any fresh fruit or veges so as to not infect the growers/farmers' crops. Think they still have that at the domestic airports and borders.)

Anyway, will have to check em out if I can. Thanks!
 
We are getting so way off topic. LoL

About the "infecting the crops", I am sort of wishy washy about that. It makes me think of years ago, when the cowboys were moving from the east to the west. I wonder how many of them took seeds from their crops in the east to plant in the west where they moved to. I mean, I can see the advantages of not keeping it localized.
 
Thing is in "The East" they have damaging pests and diseases that haven't come over The Nullabor yet, so we are keen to keep them out. Coddling moth was one such pest. Cane toad another (although we don't want them because of what they do to the environment and native fauna). Hybridisation though is definitely a good thing otherwise.

But like you say, very much off topic.
 
Yea, but we're HALF on topic. Catsup IS made with tomatoes, right? hehe

That's why I'm wishy washy. It does have it's advantages. The disadvantages are the bugs, etc. We're having a problem in the US now with bees. Or I should probably say, the LACK of them. They are being killed off by bigger bees and by the herbicides, etc etc .. and it wouldn't surprise me that environmental stuff from moving the bees from one state to another is killing them either.
 
Being one of 8 kids we went through alot of ketshup, so I remenber one year (many moons ago ) My mom decide to take tomatos from the garden and make ketchup. She is a great cook and took on this task. by the time she got done after all day of cooking and come up with about 3 bottles worth in which last about a week that was it she never made it again. We had the Village Priest leave next to us and he was going by smelling it saw mom in the kitchen window and asked her what was smelling so good and she told him making ketchup. He look at her kinda of funny and then gave her a blessing and walked on. Right then she knew she was in trouble, if she needed a blessing. Saw the preist some years later and when we talked he still remembers that day.
 
I guess I didn't think about the fact that you had to COOK the ketchup. It almost makes it not worth it. hehe I just wanted a little bit. Something maybe I could make once a week. If it's that much trouble tho, it really isn't worth it.
 
Any good catsup recipes??


This recipe was brought into the Mississippi Territory in 1806 from Georgia by my G-G-G Grandfather. They traveled by foot and by wagon pulled by a yoke of Oxen who's names were "Spike & Mike"


TOMATO CATSUP

Select fine ripe tomatoes, cut all blemishes, also hard parts about the stem end. Then slice them into a kettle filling it full. Add a dash of red pepper and put the kettle over a slow fire to stew, gradually stirring to prevent burning. When reduced by 1/2 of the original quanity strain through a wire sieve. To 5 lbs. of the pulp add 1 1/2 lbs. sugar, 1 pint of Cider vinegar, 1 T. of Cloves, 1 T. Allspice, 2 T. Cinnamon and 1 T. Salt. Put the mixture back over the fire and boil until thickness suits.


Enjoy!!!

Edit...I can't spell. Grrrr!
 
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That sounds so yummy, thank you Bob!! :)


My dad's name is Bob, seems so fitting to try a recipe by a Bob :)
 
You know Gossie if you just want to try a small amount and don't want to put much effort into it, I bet there is a microwave recipe out there or can adapt Bob's or someone else's recipe to suit a microwave. Doubt that you could do all of it in there but you could probably speed things along. Purists will hate me I'm sure but.... heh!
 
Another good idea. :0)

I was thinking about cooking some onions and tomatoes, and using my stick blender. And then maybe adding some vinegar to give it that tang. ok, will shut up now. LOL
 
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