This was our first year in a house. Complete with a yard, lots of sunshine, and it only felt natural that we take on some gardening. We grew tomatoes from seed. I think we learned some things, but those plants grew and put out enough tomatoes that I actually got a little sick of them, which is good. Part of trying to eat in season, for me at least, means that when that food is available you need to get as much of it as you can get. Eat it, can it, freeze it. Tomatoes were flying off our plants daily and I was adding them to egg dishes, salads, pastas, sandwiches, pizzas, and other tomato escapades.
One thing our plants did not produce was enough tomatoes for me to can. I was getting at most a pint of cherry tomatoes every other day, and we were eating through those. I didn’t want to stop eating them just for sake of putting some away. And our beautiful heirloom Cherokee Purple tomatoes were slow to grow, slow to ripen. So sadly, the canning of tomatoes was not from our yard as I had envisioned.
But wait! Not all is lost. I picked up five pounds of organic heirloom tomatoes, followed this recipe, and ended up with gorgeously delicious tomato jam. I am in love! Last year I canned some plain ol’ tomato sauce, which was wonderful to pull out of the pantry for use with pasta, but this jam? I ended up with about 1/2 pint that was not enough to can and I am reserving it for weekend treats. My goal is to let the tomato jam trickle out of the pantry and into our fridge over the winter months. I really want to savor it.
Tomato Jam. My new favorite way to can tomatoes.
Try out this recipe for tomato jam, found on foodinjars.com! She has a nice simple post in addition to the recipe. I have another glut of tomatoes in the fridge waiting to be made into more tomato jam, though this time I intend to try roasting them first, with spices and herbs. A more savory approach.
Tomato Jam Recipe
makes 4 1/2 to 5 pints
updated September 2011: When I made this same recipe this year, my yield was only 3 pints. Depending on the year, the tomatoes and how long you cook it down, the yield will vary a great deal.
5 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon red chili flakes
Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, simmer the jam until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This will take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, depending on how high you keep your heat.
When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
