eyeroller's Make Your Own Ketchup, first in a series

eyeroller isn't just someone who knows how to kill cleverly, she actually knows how to make ketchup. From scratch! From her recipe title, I expect there's more bounty to come.

• 1 peck tomatoes (approximately 8 quarts)
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Select good, ripe tomatoes. Scald and strain through a coarse sieve to remove seed and skin. Measure 1 gallon. When the tomatoes become cold add the remaining ingredients. Let simmer slowly for 3 hours.

Pour into hot sterilized 1-pint jars and seal. Yes, this is canning. No, it is not hard.

Let ketchup cool slightly before decanting into sterile pint jars. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Water should not cover the tops of the jars. Place a rack, like a small baking rack, on the bottom of the pot. (If you cook, you probably have a rack. You need your jars not touching the bottom of the pot. You can also use a thick plastic plate, inverted.

Fill the pot half way with water and bring to a boil. Use tongs to place jars in the water. Cover your pot. Add more hot water as needed to keep the jars covered.

Boil for 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove jars from the water bath. Stores just fine for a year or so.

Easier prep: decant cooked ketchup into plastic containers and freeze.

Easier ingredient trick: use canned crushed tomato (roughly six 16 ounce cans) plus tomato paste (two 8 ounce cans) instead of fresh tomato, but if you can get fresh, locally grown tomatoes, that's the best ketchup ever. If you use the canned, reduce cooking time to one hour, or desired thickness.