The march of the preserves continues here in full force, as we finally enter the autumn fruits!  I've been wanting to make tomato jam for a while now, but have had to wait patiently while the tomatoes ripened up! (long cool summer = unhappy green tomatoes!)

The recipe for this is fairly simple:  Tomatoes are a fruit, so here are the general ratios I use for non-recipe fruit preserves:

For every 1 lb fruit (tomatoes in this case) add:

1/2 cup sugar

1 T citrus juice

spices to taste

splash of liquor of your choice for additional flavour if you with at the end.

cook at a simmer for at least 1 hour, or longer until the jam reaches the set point (220 degrees on a digital thermometer, or passes jelly test on a cold plate)

In this case, I had about 6 lbs of tomatoes, cut in large dice — this included a hodge-podge mix of paste tomatoes and various cherry tomatoes from the garden.  You also want to KEEP the seeds in the mix for this.  The gelatinous structure around the seeds will exude a lot of juice which needs to be cooked down, BUT adds incredible umami flavour to the end product.  If you're looking to make a more refined-looking product, take the skins off.  I left them on for this batch.

So, for this batch:

• 6 lbs tomatoes
• 3 cups sugar (given the long cook time for this, stick with white sugar rather than brown, which will cook too quickly and taste burnt)
• 6 T lime juice (lemon will provide a sharper flavour note)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Method: Combine everything in a large Dutch oven, and bring just to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally (more frequently towards the end) until the jam reaches the desired consistency and/or set point (220 degrees F).  Remove from heat, place in jars and process in a hot water canner if desired.

While this jam is sweet, the umami nature of the tomatoes make this slightly savoury at the same time, and a great addition to your charcuterie or cheese plates, or as a nice alternative to ketchup on your next burger!