Tomato Jam
Tomato jam is the perfect condiment for burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a summer BLT. It's easy to make if you're patient, and perfect for home canning (or the refrigerator).
Servings: 6 half pint (8 oz) jars
Ingredients
- 6 pounds tomatoes cored and chopped (but not peeled or seeded)
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup Lemon Juice or Lime Juice
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger grated, or 1/4 tsp dried ground ginger
- 2 to 4 tsp red pepper flakes see notes
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot or dutch oven.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to evenly distribute the spices.
- Turn down the heat and cook over low to medium heat, maintaining a constant simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened to a jam-like consistency. Be patient, this should take 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally to prevent burning, and more frequently as it thickens.
- If canning, prepare a water bath canner and jars after about 2 hours of cooking.
- When the tomato jam has thickened, ladle the mixture into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. If not canning, cap lids and store in the refrigerator until needed. If canning, seal with 2 part lids and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes. (Adjust canning time to 15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation.)
- Properly canned and sealed jars will maintain the quality on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months. Refrigerate after opening. If not canned, this jam will keep in the refrigerator for about a month, or the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
Recipe Size: This recipe can be halved to make a smaller batch, but do not double. If too much is cooked at one time it will not heat evenly and the natural pectin may not thicken the jam. Large batch sizes often result in burned/scorched jam that doesn't thicken.
Tomatoes: Flavorful heirloom paste tomatoes will give the best yield, and slicing tomatoes will yield slightly less as they will cook down more before thickening. Be sure to leave in the peels and seeds, as they give the jam texture. That's different from most tomato canning recipes that have you peel/seed tomatoes before canning and makes this a much easier tomato canning recipe.
Citrus Juice: You may use either lemon or lime juice in this recipe. Lemon juice will be more neutral, and lime juice will add more interest. Be aware that the taste is only barely noticeable after a long cook time, beyond the acidity, so either will work just fine. Do not reduce the amount of citrus juice if canning.
Spices: Feel free to adjust the spices to suit your tastes. Red pepper flakes add the spice that balances out the sweetness of the jam, but it can be reduced or omitted if that's not your thing. If you don't like spice, I'd suggest substituting in a teaspoon or so of smoked paprika which will give a warm peppery flavor without the heat. Use 2 tsp red pepper flakes for a barely spicy tomato jam, or 4 tsp for more heat.
Sugar: Yes, this is a lot of sugar. It's what helps the tomato jam set, and believe it or not, it works incredibly well as a savory spread even with all that sweet in there. The acidity of the citrus balances it out, and it goes incredibly well with the spices. Like ketchup, but a thousand times better and more interesting. If you want to reduce the sugar the jam will cook down a lot more, and eventually concentrate to about the same sweetness anyway (lower yield, same amount of sugar per jar). Sugar substitutes will not work as they won't cause the jam to thicken in the same way. I'm all about low sugar jams, but this is one of those recipes that just can't work as a low sugar recipe, sorry. Realize that you're only using a small amount as a condiment and that it's not the main course of any meal.