I used to have a fantastic coworker named John. He was calm in the face of chaos, had a buoyant sense of humor and knew how not to take things too seriously. And, his wife Amy just happened to be my kitchen soulmate. You’ve got to love a coworker who comes attached to good people.
Amy was the first person to introduce to me tomato jam and now I can’t go back to a life without it. She gifted me a jar last summer, with the recipe attached and I will be forever grateful. I use it in place of ketchup (with turkey burgers), as well as in places where ketchup wouldn’t dare to tread (try it with a soft, stinky cheese. It will change your life).
For those of you who are accustomed to preserving tomatoes, you’ll notice that this recipe does not call for you to peel these tomatoes. That is not a mistake. You see, I’ve made this recipe twice now. The first time, I thought I could improve on things and peeled and seeded the tomatoes prior to cooking them down. However, without those bits, the finished jam was too sweet and entirely without texture. It needs the skin and seeds, to keep things interesting. Don’t take them out.
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
*The finished yield on this recipe varies depending on the kind of tomato you use, the width of your pan and the finished thickness to which you cook it.
2010 yield: 4 1/2 pints; 2011 yield: 3 pints; 2012 yield: 2 1/2 pints
**In my kitchen, the word simmer means to cook just below a boil. There should still be a few bubbles, but it shouldn’t be splashing all over your cooktop. If you cook at lower temperatures, the cooking time will increase.
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Made this in the weekend and it is amazing. I can see a few more batches being made over the summer
I made this the other day and have it set aside for gifts. It is really good, but a little sweet for me since I don’t eat sweets. I added just a splash of balsamic vinegar to give it some depth and cut the sweetness some. Delicious.
I’ll make this again next summer when the tomatoes come in.
[...] was too nice of a burger for regular ol’ ketchup, so I used Tomato Jam (from Food in Jars) that I made this summer. (You should make it by the way… it is hands down my favorite item I [...]
I used this last night as a glaze for roasted chicken (along with a little bit of dijon mustard) and I think that’s my new favorite tomato jam application. Thanks!
Everybody I gave a jar to LOVES this jam! Thank you for the recipe! I was just wondering how you came up with the twenty minute processing time?
Tomato Jam is traditional and Portuguese,my grand mother made this every year,when was the time for the tomato picking in our farm,and this is not the correct way to make this speacial Jam ,yes it can be use as a ketchup as it has been added with other ingredients savory, but to be a delicious flavoured Tomato Jam it doesnt need any savoury ingredients,as it is naturally delicious from its original way of making it,as i stil make it myself.
IT has a great secret.
I made you tomato jam recipe yesterday.It is really nice however a little too sweet.
I skipped the final process in the water bath. How long will it last in the cupboard or is it better to keep it in the fridge?
Chrissy, if you don’t run it through the water bath process, you must refrigerate it. It is not shelf stable otherwise.
[...] one of the many open jars that clutter the fridge and apply a layer. In the picture above, it was a tomato jam day, but I’ve also used a variety of chutneys, jams and even pickles. On top of that, a slice [...]
[...] Tomato Jam Recipe from http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/09/tomato-jam/ [...]
What types of tomatoes produce the best yield / results?
[...] I used this one, but I used cherry tomatoes. I didnt cut them up, just squished them with the potato masher. Let me tell you, it was aMAZing. I only made three pints but I cannot WAIT to have tomatoes this summer to make more. It's great with cream cheese on a whole grain cracker. http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/09/tomato-jam/ [...]
I got 15 pounds of really ripe tomatoes for cheap at a local farmers market so tomato jam here I come. Half my BFFs are on some crazy sugar free diet so I decreased the sugar to 2 cups, added a minced jalapeño and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar per someone else’s suggestion. It’s cooking now and smells awesome. I’m not going to can this batch because I’ll bet said BFFs are going to gobbleit up tonight. Will adjust favors and can th next batch because I still have 10# of tomatoes to use up.