Bumper crop of tomatoes! Who knew that 18 tomato plants would produce thousands (I’m exaggerating) of tomatoes. Dinner is basically hot or cold tomato something.
I love this tomato jam. It’s sweet with a bit of heat. It is a great compliment to a roast beef sandwich or panini. I just eat it with a spoon. I think tonight I’ll serve a long side hash made with leftover roast beef made with potatoes from the garden.
I’m really loving life. I was in Brigham City, Utah attending a bridal shower for my soon-to-be-daughter-in-law (did I use too many dashes?) Brigham City is the peach capital of Utah. I was driving down the road trying to decide which peach stand to stop at to buy a bushel or so, when I saw a sign that said, “Fresh Peach Shake”. Talk about heaven in a cup. Every single bite of my shake was filled with peaches. I’m sure freshly picked, peeled and lovingly dropped into vanilla soft serve ice cream. My regret was only ordering a small. Next time I’m getting a large.
I’m going back this week. It will be completely worth the 1 hour and 15 minute drive.
For this fabulous jam you will need:
4 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 jalapeno peppers
1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Core the tomatoes.
I like to remove the peel. If you don’t remove the peel, you will have little curly pieces of skin in the jam.
Remove the seeds. If you don’t remove the seeds from the tomato, once reduced the jam will be too seedy.
Coarsely chop the tomatoes and place in a medium size sauce pan.
Remove the seeds from the jalapeno. I’m using three peppers because the jalapeno in my garden are pretty small this year and I like the heat.
Chop into a fine dice.
Add to the pan with the tomatoes.
Peel a 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger.
Slice the ginger.
Cut each slice into strips.
Then cut into a fine dice.
You can grate the ginger if you would like. I like to get little bites of the ginger in the jam, which gives off a little more heat.
Add the 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
Add salt. I always use Kosher.
Add 1/2 cup sugar.
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice.
Stir together and place over medium heat.
When mixture begins to boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
The jam is done when the mixture is reduced and has a very thick consistency.
You kitchen now smells amazing.
Place jam into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.
This recipe only makes 8 ounces of wonderful tomato jam.
I love preserving the harvest.
Spicy Tomato Jam
I love preserving my tomato harvest into this spicy tomato jam. It's a really fun treat to have in the middle of winter.
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe tomatoes about 1 1/2 pounds
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes and place in a medium size heavy sauce pan. Seed and finely dice the jalapeno peppers and add to pan with tomatoes. Dice or grate the fresh ginger then add to the tomatoes and peppers along with the sugar, spices, salt and lemon juice.
Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes or until thick. Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes about 1 cup.
I’ve made small batches of this wonderful recipe for the past two summers, to nothing but rave reviews! I’m headed to the local farmers market now as I’ve promised all my ‘YANKEE’ friends in NY some this year, they can’t even begin to imagine how good this is. Thank you for a recipe that I will treasure for the rest of my life, soooo good!
Awesome!!! I sure love this recipe too. It’s a family favorite for sure. It’s my favorite spread. I’m anxiously awaiting tomato season so I can stock up. Thank you so much for sharing this comment. You made my day.
Thanks for sharing, and I can't wait to try some on my homemade bread.
SO delicious!
Hooray I'm so glad you like it. I had it on an omelette. Yum.
My house smells fabulous! I am cooking up my first batch of this jam and I can't wait to try it out with some cream cheese and crackers.
Thank you so much.
This looks fantastic. I have tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden I will have to try it. Love the colors you captured in your pictures.
Look at that color! It's insane!
Janet, would this work without the cumin? Or it's going to be just an ok jam? Should I replace it with some other spice? I really really REALLY can't stand the smell of cumin.
I'm sorry to respond so late. My son was married on Saturday and I have had a crazy two weeks. Sure omit the cumin. It will still taste fabulous.
Ohh, congratulations!!! I hope that all of you have had a wonderful time!
P.S.: did you make cookies? 😀
Ha Ha. No cookies thank goodness. I just got to kick back relax and enjoy the wedding day. It was awesome.
I was so excited to see this recipe! I, too, have a bounteous tomato crop and was wanting to try something new. Have you ever processed this in a boiling water bath for longer storage? Love your blog!!!
Thanks Janine. I haven't process this. I was considering making a large batch and doing just that. I would follow canning directions for your area and altitude. I have a University extension service in Utah that posts processing times. I generally process salsa for about 50 – 55 minutes for a pint jar. I'm not sure how long to process this jam. I'll have to check into that. Thanks for the comment.
I had to laugh because I thought our 8 tomato plants for the two of us was excessive – and we cut back from 12 last year! Thanks for a wonderful recipe – I'm running out of ideas for our bumper crop and have used quite a few of yours this summer!
Cheers!
I'm trying hard not to complain because I know I'll be sad in a couple of months when the tomatoes are gone. It's just too bad we can't spread the growing season out longer.
That looks so delicious – I wish we had tomato plants in our garden!
I wish I could ship you a box.