| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 35 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | four 8-ounce jars |
Ingredients
- 4 large lemons
- 5 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups light muscovado sugar or packed light brown sugar
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- 2 scant teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 4 small cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 8 1/8-inch-thick slices peeled ginger
Instructions
- Start with our step-by-step canning how-to.
- Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the lemons in wide strips, leaving the bitter white pith behind. Squeeze the lemon juice through a strainer into a large, wide saucepan. Add the lemon zest, tomatoes, sugar, cumin, 4 teaspoons salt, the red pepper flakes, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ginger. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are juicy and the sugar dissolves, 15 to 20 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are dark and syrupy and a candy or deep-fry thermometer registers 220 degrees F, 40 to 50 minutes (the timing may vary depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes). Reduce the heat if the mixture starts to scorch. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
- Meanwhile, sterilize four 8-ounce canning jars and lids.
- Fill the jars with the tomato mixture, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, then seal and process.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 702 |
| Total Fat | 2 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 177 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 11 g |
| Sugar | 159 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 1977 mg |
Reviews
I used an abundance of home grown tomatoes and maybe they were extra juicy but it took me about 3 1/2 hours to get the contents dark and syrupy as called for which reduced the contents by half And filled four jars perfectly.
I thought there was too much sugar so I reduced it by half a cup and I also reduced the salt by 1/3. I think the seasonings overpower the taste of the tomatoes and it still too sweet and also it’s too spicy. I wished I used only half the red pepper flakes it called for.
It’s a lot of trouble and time for what you get and the recipe needs tweaking. Next time I’ll use my tomatoes for salsa or bloody Mary mix!
I thought there was too much sugar so I reduced it by half a cup and I also reduced the salt by 1/3. I think the seasonings overpower the taste of the tomatoes and it still too sweet and also it’s too spicy. I wished I used only half the red pepper flakes it called for.
It’s a lot of trouble and time for what you get and the recipe needs tweaking. Next time I’ll use my tomatoes for salsa or bloody Mary mix!
Fabulous! Very unique, will make great christmas presents.
@whitenancyw Tomatoes DO contain pectin. Let’s not be pedantic.
Oh, and the recipe is very good.
This is tasty but makes way more than 4 eight ounce jars. More like eight. This is good served with roast beef.
This recipe should not be called “Jam”, unless it has pectin in it. This is a recipe for a sauce.
This is so good! I had to cook longer than the 50 minutes (plus 20 to get to the 220 degrees but it all worked out great. Recipe makes exactly what it says. Very good with grilled pork or chicken and on burgers and turkey sandwiches. My only complaint is that you cannot taste the tomato flavor because of all the spices, but the flavor is really good anyway.
love love LOVE this! I had a similar jam at a restaurant as an appetizer with goat cheese. Next time I will look for smaller jars. I’d hate to have any of it go to waste!
I just made the tomato jam from the excess tomatoes from my garden. It was easy and seriously addicting. People have been asking how to use it. I used it in place of fresh tomatoes on a BLT and used it on top of grilled salmon. It’s also good on ham or turkey sandwiches and grilled cheese sandwiches.
I too was looking for a recipe my Grandmother used to make. This is not it, but it is good. Just no sure how you would use it. Crackers with cream cheese seems so expected. Any suggestions anyone?
My neighbor and I were talking about how his gramma made “tomato jam”. Having never heard of it I was interested, so when I saw this recipe I HAD to try…
Well it was amazing. I loved the sweet and spicy combination. The only downside was that I only prepped 4 jars and it would have filled at least 2 or 3 more.
Well it was amazing. I loved the sweet and spicy combination. The only downside was that I only prepped 4 jars and it would have filled at least 2 or 3 more.