Fermented ketchup? No, it isn’t a science experiment gone bad. This homemade ketchup is actually delicious!
We’ve been on a bit of a fermented food kick lately, and it is a big change that we plan to continue. We aren’t brand new to eating fermented foods, but we have definitely never been as passionate about eating them as we are now.
A few years ago, our family followed the GAPS diet to try to heal our leaky guts, improve our son’s Autism symptoms (although he hadn’t been diagnosed yet), clear up skin issues, and just improve our overall health.
The GAPS diet was our first introduction to making our own homemade, fermented foods. I’ll be honest, it was extremely overwhelming and slightly intimidating at the time.
The GAPS diet also required us to completely change our diet and I was spending hours in the kitchen making everything from scratch.
When we transitioned back to our semi-Paleo, real foods diet, the only fermented food I was making at home was kombucha.
So why start back into making fermented food now?
Lately, we’ve gotten a little bit excited about the gut microbiome. While we’ve come a long way with our health, we each still have things we struggle with…and we’ve learned that almost all diseases begin in the gut.
We also know that the first 3 years of life are the most important years for establishing a healthy gut microbiome in our kids.
Taking probiotics can improve the health of the gut while the probiotics are in your system, but the bacterial strands in probiotics don’t actually culture your gut. They are kind of like friendly travellers passing through.
Plus, the number of live species available in commercial probiotics are in the lower billions where as many fermented foods may have CFU’s (colonizing forming units) in the trillions!
With all this in mind, we decided it was time to kick our fermented food consumption into high gear.
I’ve been going a little crazy with our ferments…we’ve got kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, coconut kefir, dairy-free yogurt, natto, kombucha, and carrots all on the go right now.
While two of my kids love fermented pickles and carrots, it can be hard to get our youngest to try a bite of anything fermented other than dairy-free yogurt.
Like most kids, he is a ketchup lover! I love making homemade ketchup so I can use organic ingredients and sweeten it with raw honey.
I had read about fermented ketchup before, and decided to give it a try.
To my surprise, our entire family LOVED it!
Fermented ketchup was so easy to make and ours was ready in just three days!
Finally, a yummy fermented food I can actually get all three of my kids to eat!
Fermented Ketchup
The best way to serve healthy, probiotic food to kids! This easy recipe for fermented ketchup is sure to please every member of your family.
Ingredients
- 2 12 oz cans Organic Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 1/3 cup Water
- 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 1 pinch Cinnamon, Garlic, Cloves, Black Pepper, Sea Salt
- 2-4 tbsp Sauerkraut Juice, Whey, or Veggie Starter Culture *If using store-bought sauerkraut, be sure it is "raw" and has not been pasteurized.
Instructions
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Boil water and mix with honey until fully dissolved. Allow to cool.
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Mix culture (sauerkraut juice, whey, or veggie culture starter) with cooled honey water.
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Combine all ingredients, then transfer to a quart size mason jar.
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Screw on lid and allow to sit on your counter at room temperature.
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"Burp" the lid daily to prevent gas build up by gently unscrewing the lid and rescrewing back on.
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The ketchup will start to become fizzy after 2-3 days. Taste daily until it has reached your desired level of fermentation. (Our family likes 3 days but you can go as long as 5 days.)
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Ketchup stays good for up to 1 month in the fridge (but I guarantee it won't last that long).
Did you try this recipe for fermented ketchup? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
