Heirloom Tomato Jam

Hi friends, it’s been too long, I know!! I had started a post earlier in the summer to share some of my garden with you, but what can I say, life got busy.  As you might know, I have become an enthusiastic heirloom gardener, which in and of itself is still shocking to an old “brown thumb “ like me. However, knowledge is power and I love learning. The day I stop learning is the day my time on this earth is through. I hope! 

As you can imagine, I’ve been harvesting tons of tomatoes! While I love to eat, share, roast, and bake all that I can, I’m always trying new ways of enjoying my harvest. One of those newer ways is Tomato Jam.

  You’ve probably had a version of this at a fancy restaurant for lunch or dinner and didn’t even know it. Or maybe you did and just had no idea what it was or how to make it for yourself. Either way, more than a few people have asked me for my recipe and I decided to share it here. I hope you enjoy it and try making some for yourself. Really, you can use this yummy concoction anywhere you would use ketchup and beyond. The possibilities are endless! I love it with grilled French bread and Brie cheese! (Talk about a grown-up Grilled Cheese Sandwich)! 

First, I just want to give you a quick look at some of my beautiful and yummy tomatoes from this year’s harvest.  

They just keep coming! These were a couple of my favorites this year.  Believe it or not, if you don’t already grow some of these, this green tri-color (Aanas Noire) is not tart, but super sweet and fruity and doesn’t make it into many recipes because IT’S JUST THAT GOOD! 

This is a little more traditional looking but its flavor is anything but!

These are just a few of the 56 varieties I grew this year and am still growing! 

If you’ve popped over from the Facebook group, TLC (Tomato Lovers Collective) I’m getting to the recipe now! If you haven’t, and you’re an avid heirloom tomato grower, I highly recommend you look up this awesome, supportive, and generous group of people.

Many people save just their paste or cherry tomatoes for jam,  but with abundant flavors, I use what is ripe! Thankfully, with this recipe, you can use very ripe ones and some that are a little under. Nothing to stop you from moving forward. 

Here’s what I do! 

Heirloom Tomato Jam

8-10 cups diced tomatoes, any kind 

1-1/2 cups lime juice 

Two medium-sized red onions, diced 

4-5 cups of sugar (it is Jam) 

Here’s where you can make it your own:

I add

1-1/2 teaspoons of salt 

1-1/2 Tbsp Cinnamon 

1-1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and shredded 

1-1/2 teaspoons of ground cloves 

That’s it! 

Preparation:

Sterilize jars and lids and have them ready. This batch made me 6 1/2 pints and 1 whole pint of jam. It’s always a good idea to have a couple extra ready just in case. 

In a large stainless steel pot, caramelize your red onion on medium-low, you’ll need a little olive oil and salt for this.  Just use your best judgment. It will be fine. 

Add your tomatoes and lime juice and turn up your heat to medium. 

Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, be careful and keep stirring at this point. When you’ve reached a good boil, turn your heat down until your jam is simmering. It will be quite loose at this point but that’s okay, you’re going to keep cooking until it’s become thick. This has taken me anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Once it is simmering, you can walk away and return to stir every 5-10 minutes. 

Jam is done when it’s reduced in size by about half and when you run your finger across the back of your spoon and it remains separated. 

Ladle your jam in jars and enjoy! We always keep some in the refrigerator to enjoy right away, but I have had this after 3-4 years and it was just as delicious. 

I hope you enjoy yours as much as we do ours! Happy Gardening!  Get your canning done, Fall’s just days away! I’m looking forward to enjoying the fruits of my labor all through the Autumn and Winter months until I can get planting again! 

This was my cranberry apple chutney, with Brie, but it’s even better with the Tomato Jam!