Tomato Ketchup
Various varieties of Tomato Ketchup have been around since the first one was published in a cook-book by James Mease in 1812 more than 200 years ago. American cooks later started adding sugar to ketchup in the early 20th century. It was the F&J Heinz company that started selling ketchup in 1876 and made it the household item it is today by the early 1900s. Since Sodium Benzoate was banned in 1906 for use as a preservative, the current version of ketchup using sugar & vinegar as natural preservatives was developed. Like every year, I sowed hybrid tomato seeds in my kitchen garden, and I maintain 20 plants which yield up to 5kg per plant easily. Since the past 3 years, to preserve these high-quality organic home-grown tomatoes, I started making ketchup so that it may be stored for up to 6 months easily. Mind you, this recipe is lengthy, easy to get wrong and tedious, so not for the faint of heart. This recipe also uses onions & garlic, but they are optional. Prep Time: 20