Homemade Ketchup

I have a friend that loves ketchup. Like, the put-it-on-everything kind of love. For his birthday this year, I made some homemade ketchup with the guidance of skinnytaste. This recipe makes about 10 ounces of delicious, and slightly spicy ketchup. Making ketchup yourself allows you to decide on the flavor (more sweet, less sweet, more spicy, etc.) and allows you to control the ingredients (no high fructose corn syrup or "natural flavoring," whatever that means). In that case, enjoy your homemade ketchup!

Tomato Jam

Believe it or not, I tried tomato jam for the first time this year and was blown away by the flavor. How could something be so sweet, spicy, and savory all at once? And now here I am making my own. It's the end of tomato season, so I bought three pounds of various tomatoes (heirloom, slicers, plum, etc.) of various colors from my farmers market. I hope that you enjoy this recipe. I suggest pairing it with homemade biscuits (see recipe here).

Pair with: Pilsner or another pale lager

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours

Ingredients
Three (3) pounds of chopped tomatoes -- be sure to keep skins on and seeds in. This adds texture and flavor to the jam.

1 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
Four (4) tablespoons of lime juice
One (1) teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
One (1) teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Directions

Before cooking

Put all ingredients into a large pot and stir lightly to blend.
Bring pot to a rolling boil.
Reduce heat and let simmer (small bubbles) for three hours. Stir often.
You'll know when its done because it will be thicker, slightly sticky, and boiled down almost completely (little to no chunks) .

Halfway through cooking

Once jam is ready, take off of heat and spoon into jars.
Place jars in cold water or fridge to reduce heat and stop cooking.
Spread jam on your favorite bread, biscuit, or use as a condiment!