Ingredients

3/4 cup dates, pitted and packed to measure

1 cup boiling water

1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste

5 Tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp yellow mustard or 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp ground allspice

pinch ground cloves

Instructions

1. Place the pitted dates in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let the dates soak in the water for 5 minutes as you assemble the remaining ingredients in a blender.

2. In your blender measure in the remaining ingredients. Then add the soaked dates and their soaking water, then blend until smooth. You’ll need to periodically stop and scrape down the sides of the blender to make sure everything is blended in. If your sauce is too thick and not blending, add fresh water a tablespoon at a time to achieve your desired consistency.

3. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings if you feel you need to, some people who use salt in their diet may want to add salt, but again this is based on your own preferred taste. Keep in mind that the flavor will mellow once it chills in the refrigerator, so I recommend that you make it once as stated in the recipe, chill it, and then taste and make adjustments on your next batch. I thought it was perfect the way it was.

4. Store the ketchup in a pint jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 weeks.

Yields: 20 ounces