Ginger is our ingredient of the season. So far we’ve shared a super simple ginger dessert and a savory shepherd’s pie minus the mash. You can find our archive of previous featured ingredients here.
*We originally published this post in 2018.*
This week, while visiting PA, I put up a few batches of tomato jam. The farm garden was overrun with tomatoes, and my jam supply was precariously low. If your counters are overrun with tomatoes, there’s nothing better than a batch of this jam. It’s absurdly easy to make, which is perfect for anyone new to canning.
Tomato jam is the jam! Bet you didn’t see that coming.
I do find that many people are surprised at the idea of a tomato-based jam. This isn’t something to pair with your peanut butter. This is a savory and slightly spicy jam that’s serves as an amazing condiment. I like to pair it with cheese, but it’s also amazing as a spread on savory sandwiches. Think of a grilled cheese with caramelized onions and a thin spread of this amazing concentrated tomato+spice flavor. Or imagine a pulled pork sandwich with a spread of jam. Do we have your attention? This stuff is amazing.
When I say concentrated tomato flavor, this is nothing like tomato paste. I’m not sure of the best way to describe it, but I think all of the sugar required to create the jam really cuts the acidity of the tomatoes. And then you pair that with grated ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and chili flakes, and wow.
This recipe is from Food in Jars. You can find her tomato jam post here, but we read it off of the sticky, jam-covered pages of our copy of the Food in Jars cookbook. I’m pretty sure it’s the first recipe that I ever made from the book, and now it’s definitely the recipe that I’ve made the most often.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs tomatoes, finely diced with skins on
- 3 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and continue cooking for at least 1 1/2 hours minimum. Stir the pot frequently to avoid burning!
- Once a nice jammy consistency is reached, transfer the jam to prepared canning jars.
- Process the jars for 20 minutes, adjusting the time for differences in altitude (you can find handy time charts online or in canning cookbooks).
I like that the batch isn’t that big: 5 pounds of tomatoes, a few hours simmering on the stove, and about 4 pints of jam. Enough to slowly eat through the year. I like to use mine on fancy cheese plates that I take to dinner parties. It’s a new treat for so many people, and everyone loves it!
Make yourself a batch before these flavorful tomatoes are gone for the season! And then, go find yourself some cheese.