This spicy treat will thrill your taste buds and is a terrific way to use a bumper crop of tomatoes and super over cream cheese with crackers! It is more like a relish than a proper jam. Every time I open a jar of this jam, I get a lot of positive feedback. Use as you would a relish; wonderful with crackers and cream cheese!
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr |
| Additional Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 40 mins |
| Servings: | 32 |
| Yield: | 8 half-pint jars |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds tomatoes
- 1 gallon boiling water
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup apple juice
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lemon, quartered and sliced thin
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes in a large pot and pour the boiling water over the tomatoes; allow to sit 5 minutes. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and place in ice-cold water until cool enough to handle. Slip off skins and stems.
- Coarsely chop the tomatoes in a food processor; reserve any juices and add to chopped tomatoes.
- Combine vinegar, apple juice, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, mustard, allspice, cumin, and cayenne pepper in a large non-reactive pan over medium heat; cook and stir until sugar dissolves completely; stir in the chopped tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until liquid has reduced by half, 30 to 45 minutes. Add the lemon slices and cook another 15 minutes.
- Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
- Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 30 minutes.
- Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.
Reviews
So, after reading all reviews I combined some of the suggestions and made this fabulous tomato butter. I used 5lbs of Roma tomatoes and 7 jalapeño peppers plus one large honey crisp apple. I added 1/2 c. Vinegar mixed with balsamic vinegar then added all of the spices per the recipe. Instead of brown sugar I used natural cane sugar and the lemon was puréed (food processor). This was cooking for at least 3hrs.& during the last 1/2 I added pectin. Place small amounts of tomato butter on a cold
I just made this recipe, I got three pints from it. i had to cook it for about 2 hours, but it came out nice and jammy. after a nice taste of the sweetness of the jam, the cayenne pepper hits you with a nice touch of heat. I made this exactly as written, but with hard cider instead apple juice, because that was on hand. I would totally make this again.
Deep flavor! My cherry tomatoes has a lot of juice. Even after cooking them down I added a Granny Smith Apple for the pectin. I also added 1 TBSP of red pepper flakes and a pinch of sage. The apple thickened it up nicely. I pureed the apple after it was soft and returned it to the pot. Can’t wait to eat it!!!
I am not a novice. I have been canning for over 50 years! In my opinion this is way to much work and time . From the time your start your water to heat to steam the tomatoes until you put it in the jar(with the right consistency) it takes about 4 hours!! Another 30 minutes to process, and now it’s 41hours.I used 10 cups of chopped tomatoes and it yielded 5 1/2 pints. I
way too sweet. and I only used 1 cup of sugar. I then added 1/4 balsamic.
I like the taste but it turned out way too runny to use as a jam. If you try to put it on a cracker it runs off. I even cooked it for about 2 hours and was hoping it would thicken up when it cooled but that didn’t happen. I ended up experimenting with a couple of jars. I heated the already processed jam and added some pectin, boiled it for a minute and now it’s nice and thick. I’ll do this each time I open a new jar. If it ever make it again, I will definitely use pectin at the end of the cooking down process.
I was looking for something to send my sister in law as part of a present and this fit the bill. Like others I made changes and started by cutting the recipe in half. It’s a great condiment and I plan on having a jar available in the fridge this summer. Great way to use up extra tomatoes from our garden.
I made this for an original recipe, Tomato jam, carmelized onion, goat cheese tamales. I thickened the jam for spreading on the masa dough. It was a great hit!
I never got this to a jam consistency – it is more like tomato sauce. The taste is really good, but it never “jammed/gelled.” I cooked it down to half, but still sauce, not jam. If I try this recipe again, I would add pectin – the pectin in the apple juice wasn’t enough to do it.
I was worried about the combination of ingredients, and even while cooking the “jam/relish,” I was not certain how it was going to turn out; however, now that it’s done, I’m thinking it’s pretty near fantastic! I took some suggestions by reviewers and added 1/2 of a finely chopped small Gravenstein apple, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp nutmeg. I did not pack the 1 1/2 C. of brown sugar, but because the jam was too vinegary-sharp tasting, I added another 1/2 C. of unpacked brown sugar. It would be great with cream cheese, chips, chicken or pork. It’s worth the extra work!
Spices were not intense enough. Used tea masala spice (clove,cardamon, pepper, cinnamon), in addition to those outlined in the recipe. Added double the cayenne and substituted the cider vinegar with balsamic vinegar. Used dark brown sugar to give it a more caramel flavour. Used beet/apple juice combo, pumps up the colour of the jam. A good template to work from but as it stands too bland.
I was really weirded out by the ingredients in this recipe. So much so that I almost didn’t try it, boy am I glad I did. Holy cow it was good! I will be making a ton next summer.
Loved this recipe. Used dark brown sugar. Cooked a double batch for almost 2 hours. Only made 9 half pint jars and the last was not full enough to process. (Which meant that was to be set aside for dinner on fresh baked bread.) Also only used 2 1/2 small sweet lemons. Lemons took it to a whole new level, but I would not use larger ones. Only gave this 4 stars because the directions need to be adjusted for anyone making this for the first-time.
I have made this recipe 3 or 4 times now and I love it. I have used canned diced tomatoes and fresh tomatoes and it has turned out well each time. I leave the skin on and it makes it a bit chunkier and still tastes good. The recipe is very adaptable, I seldom have all the ingredients and have used different vinegars, apple cider instead of juice, etc. I always simmer it longer on the stove than the recipe says so it thickens properly.
Really great recipe, really homely and fantastically tomatoey. I also questioned the use of lemon and was ready not to put it in as it tasted so good anyway and I didn’t want to ruin it. I’m glad I did though as it takes it to a whole new level! Ran out of brown sugar so used half granulated, worked perfectly, though I later realised I had some more in the cupboard. I also ran out of vinegar so drained my pickled onion jar dry! Still tastes gorgeous, highly recommend!
Delicious! Family loved it. I grow my own tomatoes and needed to use them and was glad I found this recipe. It did take 1 1/2 hours to reduce but totally worth it. Christmas is around the corner and this will make a great gift alone or in a gift basket. Thank You for reading, lisa
Yummy! This is a terrific recipe. We have plenty of tomatoes here in FL. and lemons. I questioned using lemons and tomatoes together and was amazed at how good they worked together. I mixed cream cheese with the jam and served it as a dip. Four guests gobbled it up in an hour and asked for more! I’ll be canning this again but, this time, I’ll make three batches.
Really good, great on crackers with cream cheese. It’s a good way to use up your tomato’s.
I used balsamic vinegar because it’s what I had. I cut the apple juice and added a chopped apple. Love the combination of spices, reminds me of the sweet and sour meatballs my family makes at Christmas every year. I think this would be good with cranberry juice too. Might try a small batch to see. Thanks!
Just making this today. Do you leave the lemons in? Do you peel the lemons? Will rate after i’m finished.
During my first batch, I became distracted and left out the lemon…second batch added the lemon…hubby said first batch was better. Overall I think it’s important to take your time and reduce the liquid of the tomatoes until it is nice and thick.Had it for breakfast on toasted French bread with Neufchatel cheese, Very good