Homemade ketchup with lots of tomatoes

Ketchup is simple to make at home and ag ood way to use up that surplus of tomatoes from your garden. Here are two recipes. Adding a cup of sugar to the first recipe will further mellow the flavor and make it taste closer to the ketchup we are familiar with today.

The second recipe is more like a conserve or jam. It is a dark, very sweet condiment, good with roasted poultry. Old-Fashioned Tomato Ketchup 1 peck red-ripe tomatoes, 8 quarts or about 50 medium-size tomatoes 1 pint cider vinegar 2 tablespoons salt 1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper, or to taste 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 1/2 ground cloves 1 tablespoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 cup sugar, optional

Coarsely chop tomatoes and cook in a large kettle, uncovered, until soft, about 30 minutes. Strain them through a fine sieve, a food mill, or a tomato press, pressing through as much of the pulp as possible. Return them to the kettle, add the remaining ingredients, and cook at a medium boil until thick and smooth and reduced by about half.

Immediately ladle the mixture into sterilized jars, allowing 1/2-inch headroom, seal, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes 6 or 7 pints. Tomato butter 10 pounds ripe tomatoes 3 pounds brown sugar 1 quart cider vinegar 1 tablespoon ground cloves 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Peel and slice tomatoes. Put them in a large kettle and cook, stirring, until reduced by half. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer slowly, stirring often, until thick, like jam, about 2 hours. Be careful not to scorch.

Transfer to sterilized jars, allowing 1/2- inch headroom, and seal. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes 4 1/2- pint jars.