Comments on: Mark P’s Plastic-free Homemade Tomato Ketchup

By: sdanceqt

sdanceqt — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 16:35:19 +0000

Looks good. I made it a while back on my blog as well. Turned out pretty good, but I made mine in a slow cooker, didn’t seem like that much work since I just stuck the immersion blender in when it was done.

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:38:28 +0000

Hi Nicole. As I recall, it made about 3 mason jars of the size that Mark is holding in the photo.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:57:00 +0000

How much ketchup does this recipe make? (space is an issue where I live, so I would be up for making a few glass containers worth, but not oodles o ketchup.) (:

By: chicknlil

chicknlil — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:25:09 +0000

I would plunge the hot tomatoes in cold water after blanching to remove the skins. This will make them easier to handle and stop them from cooking any further. If you use a paste tomato you will not need to simmer as long. Slicing tomatoes are juicy and paste tomatoes are dry and meaty. Your local farmer can help you pick out a nice variety. To economize you can buy seconds from your farmer. Ketchup tomatoes don’t have to look perfect and if you talk ahead of time, you can buy large quantites of canner tomatoes and share with your friends. Farmers like this because it’s hard to sell less than perfect fruit. (This goes for anything you put up at home: peaches, apples, tomatoes.)

By: greg

greg — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:53:17 +0000

YOu can buy tomato paste in the metal recylable can, it is a cheap and good ketchup if you are lazy like me and don’t want to cook. g

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:08:17 +0000

Heather, it yields about 3 pint jars. But it also depends on how much you cook it down.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:27:49 +0000

This looks great! About how much does it yield?

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:58:01 +0000

Hi Susann. Definitely if you already have a tomato press, using it would save energy. But for the occasional ketchup maker, I wouldn’t recommend going out and buying one (unless you can find one secondhand) because the materials and energy that go into manufacturing the ketchup press will outweigh the few minutes it takes to boil the water to remove the skins. But like I said, it depends on how much you use it. For those who process tomatoes on a regular basis, it would be a good idea.

The real energy intensive part of the ketchup making is the several hours of cooking to make the sauce thick and sweet. I think the only way around that would be to not make ketchup in the first place and to eat raw condiments like salsa instead.

By: Susann Edmonds

Susann Edmonds — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:56:11 +0000

I think it would cut time and energy to put the tomatoes through a tomatoe press instead of boiling to remove skins and blender to remove chunks. I love my tomatoe press.

By: Alina

Alina — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:28:24 +0000

I only have one comment: there is such a thing as a tomato machine
http://arch10.okr.ro/auctions.v3/700_700/2010/06/14/d/d/246110120-2065616-700_700.jpg
or as an attachment for a meat mincer: http://arch4.okr.ro/auctions.v3/700_700/2011/08/30/e/c/636447914303502132205084-146551-700_700.jpg

It peels the tomatoes and strains the bigger seeds.
Anyway, great job!