Mom's NeanderThin Ketchup

The NeanderThin-approved version of America's favorite condiment. (Submitted by Ray's mom, who, although in her seventies, is a NeanderThin convert and is not to be trifled with!)

3 1/3 pounds tomatoes, sliced
2 medium sliced onions
1/8 clove garlic
Approximately 1/2 bay leaf (small)
1/2 red pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened juice (select naturally sweeter ones: white grape, pear, or apple)
1 spice bag (see Notes)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Cayenne and coarse salt (optional)

1. Boil tomatoes, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and red pepper until they are soft, about 20-30 minutes. Strain them.

2. Add juice to strained ingredients.

3. Add spice bag to mixture, boiling ingredients quickly, stirring frequently until they are reduced to half the quantity. Remove spice bag.

4. Add lemon juice, cayenne, and salt.

5. Boil ketchup for 10 more minutes. Bottle (see Notes) at once in clean jars leaving 1/4 to 3/4 inch of headroom (for freezer swell). Cover and freeze immediately. Always refrigerate container of ketchup that is in use.

NOTES: The spices can be varied. Try 1 teaspoon of each of the following: allspice, black peppercorns, celery seeds, cloves, and mace, plus 1/2-inch cinnamon stick. Tie the spices in cheesecloth.

Choose containers (plastic or glass) of a size that your family will use in a week's time. Since there are no preservatives added, the ketchup will spoil once it is defrosted.

From: NeanderThin: Eat Like a Caveman to Achieve a Lean, Strong, Healthy Body by Ray Audette
Included here with the author's permission.