Make Veggies Fun with Homemade Ketchup

I hear often from parents about the challenges they face getting their children to eat and actually enjoy vegetables regularly.

One trick I've learned over the years is to not to force salads on children who have already decided they don't like them. Instead, I recommend offering raw vegetables as finger foods since kids love eating with their hands. Also, it's important to strategize the presentation and timing to optimize your success.

Add a collection of baby carrots, celery sticks, and whole baby mushrooms to a dinner plate or serving platter. Chop sweet peppers, summer squash, and zucchini into large chunks and add them to the mix. Offer this in the kitchen area BEFORE dinner while you cook. Their appetites will trigger with the aroma of the food you're preparing.

The key to enticing kids to eat the veggies (and this is the fun part) is to offer a great dipping sauce. Kids love to dip! They also appreciate a dip that has been made exclusively for them. I encourage you to try this delicious homemade ketchup. Unlike bottled ketchup, this one gives you the chance to fool around with the sugar and spices to get your desired flavor. If you want just a mild tang from the pickling spices, simply remove them halfway through the cooking period. You can also customize the ketchup to the child's taste by adding a little milk to their individual serving.

This recipe is also very impressive to serve to adult guests when dressing burgers from your summertime grill.

HOMEMADE KETCHUP
Makes about 4 cups

2 tablespoons pickling spices
10 large ripe tomatoes (about five pounds), peeled and coarsely chopped (see Note)
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
1 cup distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
Salt

Wrap the pickling spices in a square of rinsed cheesecloth. Place the tomatoes in a large pot along with the pickling spices, onions, celery, vinegar, cloves, and ginger. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour.

Add the brown sugar and cook for 2 ½ hours, stirring often, until the ketchup thickens. Season to taste with salt.

Remove the bag of pickling spices. Puree the ketchup in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Strain through a wire sieve to remove the seeds. Return the strained puree to the pot and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Pour into a container and refrigerate.

Note: To peel tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the tomatoes and cook until the skins loosen, about 1 minute. As each tomato is ready, lift it out of the water with a slotted spoon, and place it in a bowl of ice water. Core, peel, and chop the tomatoes.