Most condiments that you find on your grocery store shelves are packed with refined sugars, unhealthy oils and genetically modified vegetables. If you were to read the ingredient labels on most conventional salad dressings and condiments, including ketchup, you’d see a long list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
Nobody wants to be putting chemicals, artificial flavorings and high fructose corn syrup into their bodies, or the bodies of their children. But who wants to give up ketchup? Especially in the summer time. Really, what’s a barbecue without ketchup?
Well guess what? Making your own ketchup is easy, affordable, and it will just plain old make you feel good because you’re doing something healthy for yourself and your family.
Making homemade ketchup
If you go through a copious amount of ketchup in your home, you should consider switching to homemade. If your kids eat ketchup on everything, unless you buy organic, they’re often getting a lot of GMOs and high fructose corn syrup on their meals. Even when you buy organic ketchup you have to look out for the amount of sugar that’s going into their little mouths.
Making your own ketchup is easy as can be. All you really need is tomatoes, some vinegar, something sweet (I like molasses) and some spices. Experiment with recipes until you find one that your family enjoys. My go to is a good scoop or two of organic tomato paste with a dollop of organic molasses, some organic apple cider vinegar, a pinch of onion powder and garlic powder, a pinch of allspice and some salt and pepper. Add a little bit of water and bring to a boil. Simmer until it looks like ketchup!
If you don’t think your children will eat “no name” ketchup, just go ahead and be sneaky, putting it in a familiar bottle!
This should last a couple of weeks in the fridge, but if it’s burger season, it won’t make it that long.
Do you have a ketchup recipe you’d like to share? Let us know on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/savingdinner
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