Tomato Jam
 

Tomato Jam...have you made it? Do you like it? Wondering if I should give it a try this summer.

[url]http://preservingfoodathome.com/2015/08/19/try-it-tomato-jam/[/url]

Yes raised on it.
Add more pectin if you want it to set up more.

Worth

Made it and loved it! It's particularly good on baking powder biscuits with a slice of old Virginia ham.

Barb, I just made this recipe and it was wonderful!! A very elderly lady asked me last summer if I had a recipe for tomato jam-she said her mother used to
make it. I just never got around to looking for one and I'd have to admit that
it sounded a bit disgusting. I do give her baked good so I didn't feel especially
guilty. It almost tastes like it could be any fruit-there's a hint of lemon to it
and it's very sweet. I probably put extra cinnamon in it and used apple pie spice
instead of the cloves. It's also a beautiful dark color. I did remove extra water
from the cooked tomatoes-it's a large pot intended for salsa. I can't wait until
my husband comes in-he wrinkled up his nose when I said I was going to make it. Thank you very much for posting a link to it.

Here's the recipe I use -

[URL]http://www.gratefulprayerthankfulheart.com/2013/04/grandmom-gaskills-tomato-jam.html[/URL]

There used to be a really simple 'Strawberry jam" recipe that used tomatoes, boiling water and strawberry jello. I know its not what we are talking about here but it was neat to make with kids because you did the toms in the blender and so the choped seeds looked kind of like strawberry jam seeds. I couldn't find that recipe, though. While looking I did, however, find an article in the Boston Globe with 7 tomato jam recipes so I will add it now: [url]https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2013/09/28/tomato-jam-recipes/svCpl6lhqBlopuPf5ACwtJ/story.html[/url].
Thanks for posting that recipe at the top. I am going to try it for sure (assuming my tomatoes actually ripen this year!) Pete

Patty, this looks like a super recipe too. I'm going to try it as well-without
the spices, it'll have a much different flavor and will be a nice alternative.
Pete, can't wait to check out the recipes you posted!

I wouldn't mind trying that recipe but that's a lot of sugar and im diabetic. :shock: Barry

It *is* a jam ;-) I do make some low sugar jams for my customers (using Ball Low Sugar Pectin) and a no sugar apple butter, which is divine. Some of my customers can't eat added sugar and some just like their jam tart instead of sweet. It's best not to make a low sugar jam with something that is not high in acid, as the sugar in jam does help to preserve it and prevent bacterial and bot growth (it binds the moisture and makes it unavailable). Tomatoes can be borderline, so that's probably why I haven't seen a low sugar variety of tomato jam. I will look at the new Ball Blue Book and see what they have.

I'll have to try that some time. Using water bath seems to be the default way of canning and making preserves in America, over here it is not so popular or well-known a method. Canning and fruit jam preparation is quite common here, usually without the hot water bath or pressure cooker - it is just done by the method of cooking and canning, and those preserves keep well in a cool cellar for several years.

Here is a tomato jam recipe I made last year. There is no pectin and it uses 3 1/2 cups of sugar which is a lot, but you could probably cut down a bit. It does take a while to cook and get to that jammy texture. Using a paste tomato will reduce cooking time, but if you use beefsteaks or whatever else is growing in your garden, it will take a good two hours to get that glossy sheen and thick texture. It's delicious!

[url]http://www.thejoykitchen.com/recipe/amys-tomato-jam[/url]
Amy's tomato Jam
Makes 3 pints
5 pounds tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
3 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup bottled lime juice
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in a large, nonreactive pot. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer the jam, stirring regularly, until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. Toward the end of cooking, be vigilant about stirring, as it burns easily when it’s nearly finished. When it is done, it should look glossy and it shouldn’t be at all runny. This will take between 11/2 and 2 hours.

Once the jam is cooking, the vital work is done. This jam keeps for ages in the refrigerator, so you can funnel it into jars, let it cool and then pop it in the back of the fridge. However, if fridge space is precious, it can also be canned in a boiling water bath canner for shelf stability. Here’s how that’s done.

When the jam is nearly done, prepare a boiling water bath and three pint jars (you can also use a combination of pint and half pint jars if you prefer). Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.

When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Preserved in this manner, unopened jars of tomato jam will last up to two years. Kept in the fridge, it will keep for at least 6 months.

I made two batches of that tomato jam recipe this year. It really is delicious. Tasty on burgers, and dresses up a grilled cheese sandwich. The yield seems a bit variable (the original author, Marisa McClellan, mentions this on her blog), so smaller jars worked better for me. It's on my "make every year" list.

FP, I put it in 250 ml jars. It really is delicious, and an acquired taste. But I made homemade ketchup this year, which was so long to cook down. Then I found a couple of recipes later that said to do it in two days, because it has to cook down, blend, cook down. All that to say, that it was quite spicy and not very different from the tomato jam except that it's smoother. Not making the jam this year as not everyone liked it as much as I did!

hmm, just seen this thread. Thanks for posting!
I still have tomatoes to try. Will have to modify though. I do not use sugar much.
Did organic upick raspberries jam with honey and lemon, came out outstanding. Thinking I can sub sugar for a bit of honey...
I do use pomona pectin if I have to.
Have been getting fairly thick sauce if I cut tomatoes in halves, mash it down some and heat for about 15 minutes. Then let it cool and put them into sieve. Collected juice goes into soup base jar. By that time skin peels off real easy and bit of blending does make nice thick sauce with no long cooking. My pH paper never goes above 4.1 so am not sure about all those issues with tomatoes being a problem for canning without additives.

I bet honey would work great. There's actually a version of the recipe that uses 2.5 c of honey in place of the sugar: [url]http://foodinjars.com/2013/09/classic-tomato-jam-sweetened-honey/[/url]
I didn't try this variation, but it's on my list for next year.