I don't even like ketchup, but this I could eat with a spoon (or, more accurately, the spoon in the picture above).  It's a combination of several recipes, mixed together to create something with a lot of flavor and not too much manual labor.  And as it simmers, marvel at how it smells the way ketchup tastes. 

One of many blessings of home-made ketchup is that it contains no high fructose corn syrup.  Use agave nectar, a sweetener made from a cactus-like plant with a honey-like texture and mild flavor (find it in your local health food store) and you’ve got ketchup with a very low glycemic index.   Spread it on burgers, dip your sweet potato fries in it, use it to make barbeque sauce, or substitute it for tomato paste for an extra kick of flavor in your recipes.

And, by the way--stop wasting tomato paste! Buy organic canned tomato paste and freeze the leftovers in tablespoon-sized chunks.  Use as needed.