From Tomato to Baked Ketchup

I have lots of tomatoes on our farm and I am always looking for new recipes to can and preserve the tomatoes for winter. Baked ketchup is my absolute favorite. The strong rich flavor makes it a perfect dip and side dish to meat or vegetables and it's also perfect as a spread for the sourdough rye bread.

In this instructable, I would like to show you not just my recipe for baked ketchup but also how I plant tomatoes.

If you want to have your own tomatoes, you will need:

• tomato seeds
• sticks
• thick thread
• small containers such as from yoghurt

For baked ketchup

• 1,5 kg/53 oz of tomatoes
• 2 large red peppers
• 4 medium onions
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 dl/3.4 fl oz of vinegar
• 2 tbsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1 heaping tbsp of sweet red paprika
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 pcs of allspice
• If you want your ketchup to be spicy, add Worchester sauce, chilies, spicy paprika or any other spicy ingredient.

I'm sure all farmers have their way of cultivating tomatoes but if you're new to this and looking for tips, here's how I do it in short.

I seed the tomatoes at the beginning of march. I prepare shallow containers with about 5 cm/2 in of good soil, place the seeds on it and cover with a thin layer of soil. In 3 - 4 weeks, the tomatoes have at least their first set of "real leaves" (those that look like tomato leaves). That is when I take them out of the container and re-plant them into individual containers.

I usually use yoghurt containers or other tall containers. I poke one larger or several smaller holes into the bottom for drainage and place a layer of sand at the bottom of the container. I hold the plant with one hand inside the container so that most of the stem is inside and only a small part of it and the leaves show above it. With the other hand, I carefully add soil to the container until it's full. I water them every day and this is how they grow until it's time to plant them outside. Sometimes, I place two plants in one container.

When the outside temperature is above 10°C/50°F, I leave the tomatoes outside during the day taking them back inside. This makes the plants more resilient.

The time to plant the tomatoes outside comes at mid May where I live, because at this time, the temperature doesn't drop back to zero at night. I dig a wide hole for each tomato and put a thick pole at the edge of each hole. Wood is ok but since I have a lot of plants that give large and heavy fruit, I prefer metal poles. I place two tomato plants in each hole in a position in which they are almost laying. This is because they like to sprout new roots along the stem and the more stem is in the soil, the more roots there will be and the stronger the plant. I cover the hole with soil and water them every day if it doesn't rain.

To prevent usual diseases, I spray them with a solution of milk and water (50:50) every week. If the plants get infected with the mold that is usual in years with more rain, I cut the infected branches and leaves every day. I also cut off all the leaves that touch the ground and often also those that cover the fruit.

As the tomatoes grow, I tie them to the poles with a thick but soft thread or yarn that will not cut into the stems as the plants grow. I don't tie them too tight because the stem will thicken. I also cut off excessive branches that grow above the real branches (see the photo). They make the plant week. Sometimes, I miss a branch like that I find it when it's practically a new plant. In this case, I cut it off and plant it, keeping the soil properly wet for a week. Some of them sprout roots and there goes a new tomato plant.

Clean the tomatoes from anything ugly on their skin and remove the greed centers. Peel the garlic and onion and remove the stalks and seeds from the red peppers. Dice or slice all the vegetables except the garlic, place everything on a large baking tray, add sugar, salt, paprika, cinnamon, spices and vinegar and stir everything. Spread evenly on the tray.

Bake for 60 minutes on 200°C/392°C, stir and continue baking for 30 more minutes. Let cool down completely.

Take out the bay leaves and allspice (if you can find it) and blend everything smooth.

And there it is, your baked ketchup is done! You can serve it right away or can it.

To can the ketchup, pour it in jars leaving about 1-finger-space from the edge of the jar. Put on the lid and tighten it. If you're using a canner or another special pot for preserving food, set it according to the instructions. If you don't have a canner, use any pot into which the jars can fit completely. Fill the pot with water with water to cover the lids.

Sterilize for 25 minutes on 85°C/185°F. If you don't have a thermometer, bring the water to a point where it's almost boiling and lower the heat to keep it in this state.

Take the jars out and let them cool down, I sometimes turn them upside down to create more pressure on the lid. Store them in a dark place such as the cellar or pantry.