DIY Kitchen: Ketchup

The door of summer has been flung open and anything is possible. It’s that season that passes by in a frenzy of fecundity and sweaty exertions.

And yet, like an existential joke, the gifts of summer are stamped with their own expiration date. Turnaround is tight; you can practically hear the clock ticking on warm-weather ingredients like honest-to-god sun-ripened tomatoes.

The very first of the season's tomatoes are best enjoyed fresh; consider salting and eating them as you would an apple. The next harvest is ideal for making salsa and roasted tomato sauce. Then, just when you think you might have achieved enough tomato-eating, it’s time to make ketchup, which is the culinary manifestation of having enough tomatoes—a luxurious and blessed state.