Homemade sugar-free ketchup

Homemade sugar-free ketchup

It's been a saucy past couple of days! I have prepared tomato sauce, spicy barbecue sauce, original barbecue sauce, and today I am making another one of my favorite condiments, which happens to be sugar-free ketchup. (If you prefer to use regular sugar instead, you can.) This is such a delicious ketchup, it's thick and tangy, with a slight hint of sweetness. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)

• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

• ½ teaspoon of yellow mustard

• 1 teaspoon of onion powder

• ½ teaspoon of seasoning salt 

• ¼ teaspoon of soul seasoning

• ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon of Splenda, or granulated monk fruit

Instructions:

Wash and rinse your tomatoes with fresh water. Then coarsely chop them. (Remove the seeds and tomato skins if you prefer, I do not.)

Now, add the tomatoes into a blender and blend them until they're smooth.

Pour the tomato purée into a saucepan, add the other list of ingredients; combine well.

Bring the tomato mixture to a boil at high temperature. Then lower the heat to medium and simmer for thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Stir occasionally. Your ketchup will be reduced by half when it's finished. 

As your ketchup cooks, you'll notice how the color changes. It starts out being a light pink, then turns almost orange red, before it initially turns into a deeper red.

Allow your homemade ketchup to cool. Then transfer it to a bottle or jar with a lid. Store it inside your refrigerator. 

Note:

Taste your ketchup as you go. Add more (or fewer) seasonings if desired. If you prefer a sweeter ketchup, add more sweetener to your taste. You can also add hot sauce or peppers to yours, if you prefer a spicy ketchup.

Since this recipe uses vinegar, your ketchup will keep (when properly stored) for a long time.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Original flavored barbecue sauce

Original flavored barbecue sauce

The weather has been so nasty here for the past week. It's been freezing rain, sleeting, and it's so very cold and yucky outside. So, I am in my comfy kitchen preparing various sauces using tomatoes. My recipe is for refrigerated original flavored barbecue sauce. I'm not processing my sauce in a canner, but you can if that's your preference. If you don't have any fresh tomatoes, you can make this sauce using canned tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 10 tomatoes, or 28-ounce can of tomatoes

• 1 cup of onion, finely diced

• 2-½ teaspoons of garlic powder

• 1-½ teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1 cup of Splenda brown sugar, or regular brown sugar

• 1 can of tomato paste, to be used as a thickener

Instructions:

If you're using fresh tomatoes, wash and rinse your tomatoes well. Slice them in half. (If you prefer seedless sauce, take the seeds out by squeezing each half.) Then chop each of them coarsely. 

Now, transfer your prepared tomatoes and diced onion to a blender or food processor. Start processing the tomatoes and onion at high speed first, then to low, and then pulse the machine about eight more times.

Next, transfer the tomato mixture to a saucepan. Add the other ingredients; stir well.

Cook over a high temperature. Once the sauce reaches the boiling point, turn the burner down to medium heat and simmer the sauce for one hour. Stir occasionally.

Allow your barbecue sauce to cool. Then package it up. (I pour mine up into a large glass jar and vacuum-seal the lid. Then place it inside my refrigerator.)

Note:

I generally only make one to two quart-sized jars of refrigerated barbecue sauce at a time. If my recipe makes more than you can use in a short period, freeze, or process it.

Stored in the freezer, my barbecue sauce generally keeps for about one year.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade spicy barbecue sauce

Homemade spicy barbecue sauce

I hope y'all enjoy homemade sauces. Today, I prepared a spicy barbecue sauce that's one of my family's favorites. If you don't have ripe tomatoes, you can use canned tomatoes for this recipe. I used ten large ripe tomatoes, but a twenty-eight ounce can of tomatoes equals two pounds of ripe tomatoes, which averages about ten tomatoes.

For my spicy barbecue sauce, I used cayenne pepper flakes, because that's the type that I had on hand. You can use fresh jalapeno, habanero, chilies, or whatever type of hot peppers that you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 10 large tomatoes, or 28-ounce can of tomatoes

• 1 cup of onion, finely diced

• 2-½ teaspoons of garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper flakes

• ½ cup of hot sauce

• 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika

• 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• ½ cup to 1 cup of Splenda brown sugar, or regular brown sugar (amount depends on your taste)

• 1 can of tomato paste, to be used as a thickener

Instructions:

If you're using fresh tomatoes, wash and rinse them well. Then slice them in half. (If you prefer seedless sauce, take the seeds out by squeezing each half.) Now, chop each of the tomato halves coarsely. 

Add your prepared tomatoes, diced onion, and cayenne pepper flakes to a blender or food processor. Start processing the mixture at high speed first, then to medium, low, and then pulse the machine about eight to ten more times.

Next, pour your prepared tomato mixture into a saucepan. Add the other ingredients; stir and combine well.

Cook the barbecue sauce over a high temperature. Once it reaches the boiling point, turn the temperature down to medium heat and simmer the sauce for about forty-five minutes (with a lid on). Stirring occasionally.

Allow your spicy barbecue sauce to cool. Then package it up in whatever containers you prefer to use. Store your barbecue sauce either inside the refrigerator or freezer.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Water bath canning tomato sauce

Water bath canning tomato sauce

Yesterday, I canned about 55 pounds of tomatoes. I know, that's a lot of tomatoes! So, I broke my recipe down to make it more manageable for my article today. Each quart jar, on average, will hold about 6 1/2 pounds of tomatoes when you're making tomato sauce. To make my sauce recipe, you'll need a water bath canner or a large enough stockpot that the quart jars can be submerged in. Note also that the water will need to cover the jars by about an inch. This is one of the simplest ways to make homemade tomato sauce because you do not peel, take the seeds, or the core out of the tomatoes. You'll only want to cut the stem portion off the tops of each one.

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes, an average of 6 1/2 pounds, will be needed per quart.

• 4 tablespoons of 5 percent white vinegar per quart You can also use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or use a dash of citric acid per quart, if you prefer.

• Spices of your preference (I didn't add any to mine; that way, I will be able to use the tomato sauce for various recipes later on.)

Instructions:

I began by working in batches, washing and quartering the tomatoes, then adding them to my blender. (You can use either a blender, food processor, or food mill to prepare the tomatoes.) I wanted to make my sauce thick, so I only pulsed my tomatoes about four times.

 

Then I transfer the tomato sauce to a large stock pot and continue to pulse the rest of the tomatoes in my blender until they are all processed.

 

Then I placed the stockpot over medium-high heat and brought the sauce to a boil.

 

Once the sauce comes to a rapid boil, I reduce the heat and simmer the sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally. I cooked the sauce for 90 minutes until it thickened.

 

Once the sauce was cooked to my preference, I prepared my water bath canner by filling it with water and 8 quart-sized canning jars. Then I brought the water to a boil to sterilize the jars.

 

After that, I removed the stockpot from the burner and transferred the hot tomato sauce to the sterilized jars, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.

 

Next, I stirred in 4 tablespoons of 5 percent white vinegar per quart. You can also use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart, or use a dash of citric acid per quart, if you prefer. Doing this step is crucially important because it is what keeps harmful bacteria from growing inside your jars of tomato sauce. You can add spices and a sweetener of your choice now if you desire.

 

Then I wiped the jar rims off with a clean paper towel, sealed the jars with lids and ring bands, and processed the jars in a water bath canner for about 40 to 60 minutes. Remember that the jars need to be submerged in water, and the water needs to be an inch above the jars at all times.

 

Once the tomato sauce was processed, I used canning tongs to lift the jars out of the hot water, placed them on a towel-lined counter, and left the jars to sit overnight. This morning, all the lids were sealed.

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade vegetable juice

Homemade vegetable juice

Today, I will be making a homemade vegetable juice that tastes similar to the original V-8 juice. However, unlike V-8 juice, I do not use beet juice or watercress lettuce in my recipe. You can use frozen or canned tomatoes, carrots, and spinach if you don't have any fresh vegetables, and you can use dried parsley flakes if you don't have fresh parsley. This juice isn't just delicious; it's also very healthy and can be used as a meal or snack replacement for those of you who are watching your calories.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of tomato, diced

• 1 cup of carrots, diced

• 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 cup of spinach

• 1 tablespoon of parsley

• 1 tablespoon of celery flakes

• 1 cup of water, divided

To double the recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 8 cups of tomato, diced

• 2 cups of carrots, diced

• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup of spinach

• 2 tablespoons of parsley

• 2 tablespoons of celery flakes

• 2 cups of water, divided

Instructions:

Combine the tomatoes, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a half cup of water in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat. Allow the tomato mixture to simmer, covered, for twenty minutes.

Add the spinach, parsley, and celery flakes. Simmer for another five to ten minutes while keeping the pan covered. Remove the pan from the burner and then allow the mixture to cool for about twenty minutes.

Now, pour the mixture into a blender. Add the remaining half a cup of water and purée until smooth for about two minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer if you don't like vegetable pulp in your juice. 

Pour the juice into jars or a pitcher and store your delicious vegetable juice in the refrigerator. Serve it once it's chilled. Enjoy!

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com

Homemade, no-cook tomato juice

Homemade, no-cook tomato juice

The amazing benefits of drinking tomato juice are well worth the effort it takes to prepare it at home. Tomato juice contains a good source of vitamins and minerals. Such as: vitamin A, vitamin K, and B vitamins, as well as magnesium, iron, and phosphorus, are naturally in it. The facts are that drinking a glass of tomato juice every day can help improve digestion and even aid in good gut health and weight loss, among so many other things.

Ingredients:

• 8-10 large tomatoes

• 1 teaspoon of celery flakes (optional)

• 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning salt

• 1-1/4 cups of cold water

Instructions:

First, wash your tomatoes in fresh water. Then cut the tomatoes into large pieces.

Add the chopped tomatoes to a blender. Add 1 cup of water. Blend on high for about a minute.

I prefer drinking my tomato juice just as it is at this stage, after it's been chilled. However, if you prefer your juice not to have any tomato pulp or seeds, continue by pouring the fresh blended tomato juice through a chinois (a cone-shaped mesh canning sieve) with a bowl underneath the stand. Using a pestle, turn the pestle clockwise around the inside of the chinos to push the juice through the sieve into the bowl underneath. (Use the left-over tomato pulp for whatever you desire.)

Stir the seasoning salt and celery flakes (optional) into your tomato juice. Now, you can store the prepared juice inside your refrigerator until it gets chilled, or you can serve it in glasses at room temperature. Enjoy!

Resources:

(BASc, J.S. and (BASc, J.S. (2020) 9 incredible benefits of Tomato Juice, Organic Facts. https://www.organicfacts.net/tomato-juice.html. Available at: https://www.organicfacts.net/tomato-juice.html (Accessed: April 10, 2023).

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© 2025 Olden Oasis

oldenoasis.blogspot.com