Sometimes it's hard to remember a world in which dinner didn't come in a microwave-ready box and ketchup didn't come from a bottle. But this recipe proves that most foods (with the possible exception of, say, Cheetos) were once homemade. And you might be as surprised as our tester was to discover that the spices in ketchup are allspice and cloves.

The contributor: Roseann Blacher is an EcoBroker-certified Realtor who lives in Marietta. Her interest in environmental issues extends to her own yard, where she keeps an organic garden. She is married to Joel, a science teacher. In addition to gardening and cooking, "We hike, and we canoe, and we love to read and we are avid hockey fans," she said. She also is compiling a family-history cookbook and a margarita recipe book.

Courtesy of Roseann Blacher (ENLARGE)

Rosa Clare Ferber Fulghum.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

Rosa Clare Ferber Fulghum Long, second from right, used this recipe for a precursor to modern ketchup that her parents brought with them from Germany.

Chris Hunt/chunt@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

Mama's Ketchup, dated 1890.

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The story: Blacher's great-grandparents, immigrants from Germany, owned a bakery in Augusta, and the family lived above it. When their daughter, Rosa Clare Ferber, married, the couple lived over the bakery, too, but her new family also had a farm. During the Depression, Blacher said, "They would do all kinds of stuff to supplement. They used to go out to the farm and get all their food."

Rosa Clare inherited an old family recipe from Germany that was the precursor to modern ketchup, a kind of chunky tomato chutney, preserved in vinegar, to serve with meat. Over the years the recipe has been refined and revised. "Back then they didn't have Heinz and they didn't waste the food," Blacher said. "Especially during the Depression. People were starving; they didn't waste anything. This is what they did to hide the flavor of a little 'off' meat. They would boil it down and cover it with this stuff. You couldn't afford to not eat food that was just a little off-flavor," she said.

Mama's Ketchup, dated 1890
Makes about 3 cups

Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 6 hours

Roseann Blacher's family recipe started with a half-bushel (about 27 pounds) of tomatoes. We modified it slightly to work with smaller portions. Enjoy it on burgers, hot dogs or potatoes. It tastes like bottled ketchup, with more tomato intensity and a little extra kick.

6 1/2 pounds tomatoes

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard seed or dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups white vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to boil; have a bowl of ice water standing nearby. Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 30 seconds, until the skins begin to split. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drop them in the cold water. Cut out the stem end and peel off the skins; discard. Place a sieve over a bowl and squeeze the tomatoes into the sieve to remove the seeds and save the tomato juice. Discard the seeds. Place tomatoes and juice into a large pot. Coarsely chop the tomatoes with a spoon. Add the salt, pepper, mustard, allspice, cloves, onion and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 4 hours, until the quantity has been reduced by almost half. Working in a few batches, puree in a blender or food processor. Return to the pot and simmer 1 to 2 more hours, stirring occasionally, to desired consistency. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Per tablespoon: 17 calories (percent of calories from fat, 12), 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, trace fat (no saturated), no cholesterol, 116 milligrams sodium.