Quebec Fruit Ketchup

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 15 fresh tomatoes (use canned if the recipe is done in winter) or 2 (28 ounce) cans tomatoes (use canned if the recipe is done in winter)
• 6 apples
• 3 celery ribs
• 1 mild green pepper
• 3 big onions
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 2 cups vinegar
• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon of dried cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons pickling spices (in a cheesecloth)
• 1 (28 ounce) can fruit cocktail

Recipe

• 1 peel and cut the tomatoes in big chunks.
• 2 peel, cut the core away and cut the apples in pieces.
• 3 slice the celery stalks thinly.
• 4 cut the pepper, slice off the seeds and cut in small pieces.
• 5 peel the onions and slice them to obtain nice thin slices.
• 6 pour the fruit cocktail can through a sieve and keep only the fruits.
• 7 put all the ingredients except the fruit cocktail in a big pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat so that it only makes little bubbles (slow to medium-slow heat).
• 8 for the whole cooking period, put 3 pennies evenly spaced on your burner to avoid the sticking in the bottom of your pot. also, it is important to stir often: cook for one hour then add the fruit cocktail pieces and cook for another hour. the consistency of the liquid part of this ketchup is similar to a thick syrup and you can verify by putting a spoonful in a cold saucer when near the end of the cooking time.
• 9 put in sterilized jars (mason type) and close the lids.
• 10 store in a dark cool place.