I now have a lifetime supply of ketchup

[zxcvbob]

5 1/2 pints of green ketchup are in the BWB canner right now -- 4 pint jars and one of those Atlas jars from Classico spaghetti sauce. Not a bad yield from 10 pounds of unripe slicing tomatoes (Romas would have yielded more and required less cooking.) I wasn't going to process it, but I don't want to take up that much room in the fridge to store it.

I almost ruined it because I didn't realize the sugar is a critical measurement, and I was going pretty much without a recipe. I started with 2 cups of sugar and tasted it and it wasn't nearly sweet enough. So I added another cup and it was too sweet (should have added just 1/2 cup) But after it cooked for a couple of hours it kind of balanced out. I think it's OK.

Bob

[Melba's Jammin']

Good on you!! Does it taste like red ketchup?

[zxcvbob]

Pretty close. But greener. :-) It's also a little spicier than storebough ketchup, and it's not as smooth even though I food-milled it to remove all the seeds and skins, and when it was cooked down I blenderized it with a wand blender.

I need to go get some french fries for the real test...

It would be a lot easier starting out with a big can of tomato paste. And mixed pickling spice from Penzey's instead of a tablespoon of this and a tablespoon of that of a long list of whole spices.

I did learn a neat trick: to make a cheesecloth spice bag when you don't have any good cheesecloth, unfold a 4" sterile gauze pad and fold it in half. You can buy them at the pharmacy for about 10¢, the packet says "Curity Gauze Sponges 12 Ply". I still have a bunch of them from when I busted up my knee last month.

Bob

[Farm1]

Hmmmm. Wonder if that's what I'd call 'Green Tomato Chutney'?