Tomato Jam

Thanks to Nancy at Fair Foods there are a lot of tomatoes in my life. Our relationship usually consists of salads, sandwiches and a lot of saucing. But that was getting a little routine so I decided to spice things up. I found this recipe for Tomato Jam and it is AMAZING!!! I made some tweaks because I have to, but if you would like something new to do with your tomatoes try it! The Jam tastes like the insides of a mincemeat pie, sweet and spicy and very surprising. It takes a good bit of time, but totally worth the wait.

We have not formally eaten any yet, just licked all the remnants out of the pan and on the spoon. But we think it would be great on croissanti with  goat cheese. We will try it.

This recipe makes about 1 pint of jam. Multiplying the recipe works fine, but it takes a little longer to boil down. When I doubled mine it took 2 hours instead of 1 hr. 15 min.
 You can make the jam and put it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or you can can it. This recipe requires the water bath canning method, but that is only because the lemon rind and juice lend enough citric acid to keep the botulism at bay. **IMPORTANT** You must have enough lemon or you can make people very sick. Tomatoes do not have enough acidity of their own, and without the lemon you will need to use the pressure canning method. To ensure safe acidity in canned tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart. The quantities of this recipe are sufficient, just be careful folks. 

Tomato Jam

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In a 3-4 quart saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.

2. Reduce heat to a simmer, stir occasionally, until mixture is reduced to 2 cups and has the consistency of thick jam. (this takes about 1 hr and 15 min)

3. Spoon into prepared sterilized jars and process 10 min in water-bath or place in the refrigerator.