Summer Tomato Jam bottles up the all the delicious flavor of ripe summer tomatoes so you can enjoy it year-round.
It’s delicious on a cracker with cheese, slathered onto a burger, or by the spoonful!
Do you remember the recipe that made you fall in love with cooking? When my friend Colleen asked me that question, it took me about two seconds to answer. This tomato jam, from The Little House Cookbook, is the first truly spectacular thing I ever made.
I still remember the day my mom and I made it. It was the summer before I started fourth grade and it was probably right around this time of year, when our garden was giving us more tomatoes than we could eat. We picked some tomatoes that were still green and fried them, then we preserved some of the ripest ones by making tomato jam.
I gave a jar of it to my teacher for Christmas that winter. When we came back from break, she told the entire class how amazing it was and how she had already finished the whole jar. Being the super shy kid that I was, I was humiliated. When she pointed out that my face was turning the same color as the jam I wanted to crawl under my desk and disappear.
I won’t lie – I might have cried.
But secretly, I loved that she loved it. I already loved to cook, but that was the moment when I fell in love with cooking for other people. Making something that would make them smile. Or something that would remind them of summer in the middle of a very, very long winter.
Tomatoes probably aren’t the first thing that come to mind when you think about jam, but they work beautifully. It’s sticky and sweet, with a super concentrated tomato flavor. And no, it doesn’t taste a thing like ketchup. It has all of the bright summer tomato flavor that tomatoes you can buy in the winter lack.
Once you taste it, you’ll find a million ways to use this jam. I love it on crackers (with or without a little goat cheese), spread on a grilled cheese sandwich (try it mozzarella and pesto for a wintertime caprese), on burgers. Mixed with a little cumin, it also makes a fantastic chutney-like accompaniment to chicken breast or fish.
Summer Tomato Jam
If canning makes you nervous, you can also keep this jam in the refrigerator (or freeze it for long term storage).
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I like roasted ground ginger)
- 4 half-pint jars, sterilized
Directions
- Add the tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Pulse several times to crush the tomatoes.
- Transfer the tomato puree to a medium skillet set over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, and ground ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and jammy – this will take about an hour. (To test, dip a cool, metal spoon into the jam. It should slide of the spoon in a thick sheet – not in watery droplets.)
- Ladle the jam into the jars. Store in the refrigerator. Alternately, wipe the rims and seal in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. The jam is delicious right away, but tastes even better after a few weeks.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories.
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I made this jam a few months ago at the end of Jersey tomato season. It lasted a long time and is wonderful as a sandwich spread. I plan on making and canning batches this summer as plan ahead Christmas gifts. I’m sure it will be a big hit!
I finally got to make this summer tomato jam this past weekend and it was such a hit!! I used your suggestion and used 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger.
I need to use up beefsteak tomatoes and big yellow tomatoes so I’m going to try it with those. I think that may be why others had to cook longer … the recipe doesn’t specify roma tomatoes. I searched through many recipes and returned to this one because uses simple ingredients with flavors I like. Many others were very complicated with numerous ingredients. I don’t mind the extra cooking though I will probably simmer at a lower than medium temp for that longer amount of time so it doesn’t burn. I had that trouble last year when I made pasta sauce …. it got too salty and had that slightly burn-y taste. I use it in baked pasta recipes like lasagna rather than just over spaghetti. I needed something else like this to do with all these piled up tomatoes. I also think it is worth the effort to cook multiple batches rather than try to double or triple the recipe, something I learned does not usually have a positive outcome. I hope my friends and neighbors enjoy it as much as your teacher did!
I made it today. A friend gave me 8 pounds of tomatoes. I did the ingredients times four!! It had to simmer and be stirred for over four hours but it was worth it.
I used 2T (times 4) instead of 1 lemon zest and juice. Worked fine for me
Hi Lauren if I do the recipe times four would it take 4 hours to cook. Mine has been cooking for an hour and a half and not really getting very thick. Any suggestions?
My first batch is in the water bath, delicious, probably cooked it down too much (only made 2 250ml jars). Will try adding ground chilies to it next time et voila, homemade hot and sweet chili jam, just like from Trader Joe’s!!
My mom and i just made this! Tastes delicious! Love making any and all jams with my mom – glad to add this recipe to our book! What is the best cracker to eat it with goat cheese on?
This jam tastes amazing on virtually any cracker with a smear of goat cheese or a cheese of your choice
It’s winter and I have a craving for tomatoes jam do you think I could use canned stewed tomatoes
Unfortunately, I don’t think that would work well. Your best bet this time of year would probably be to use hothouse tomatoes.
How long do you keep the Tomato Jam in the water Bath
How long for the water bath?
Has anyone’s tried this with added fresh basil?
Just finished making it and putting it into my jars! I am going to can it in my steam canner though.. I hope I didn’t cook it to long, I tripled the recipe so my thickening time was about 3 hrs!! It looks and tastes great though. I can’t wait to try some after it’s been sitting for awile!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
I STERILIZE ALL THE TOOLS BEFORE FILLING JAR–FUNNEL, LIDS AND WIPE TOP OF JAR WITH HOT PAPER TOWEL TO REMOVE ANY PIECES FROM TOP OF JAR BEFORE PUTTING THE HOT LIDS ON THEY WILL SEAL AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO KEEP YOUR TOMATO JAM IN THE REFRIGERATOR. NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS METHOD. .BEEN CANNING FOR YEARS . LET THE JARS COOL AND WASH JARS BEFORE STORING IN PANTRY OR BACK IN THE JAR BOXES. WILL TRY THIS RECIPE THANKS FOR SHARING.
Tomatoes should alway be processed in a hot water bath before storing on the shelf; especially since tomatoes today do not have the acid they used to. The jam should be ok since it contains lemon juice. You may have been doing it for years, but the next jar you open could give someone food poisoning too. It’s just not safe, and you should not advise others to use unsafe practices.
I made this jam using 2 lbs. tomatoes out of the garden and it cooked down to less than a pint. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions, or should I use maybe 4 lbs. next time? Thanks
Never heard of tomato jam before, until I had it with grilled pork chops at a restaurant! It was fantastic! Been waiting for summer tomato season to make it. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you, I will let ya know how it turns out!
I’m tripling the recipe right now and with all of the tomatoes and sugar and lemon juice, I’m getting the idea I might be standing over the cook top for a while. I missed a chunk of tomato while blending and I fished it out and ate it. Mind you, I have just barely started cooking the jam. It was amazing! Between the tomatoes and the fresh taste of the lemons and the bit of ginger, I’m super excited for the final product. If I can get through the cooking stage! 😉
It too a good 2-2.5 hours of cooking but it finally thickened. I wasn’t sure about the canning part. I heated my jars before filling them and sealing. (Basically the same thing I did with my zucchini relish). Is this all that’s needed or do they require a hot bath? I didn’t have to do this with the zucchini relish. I’m just verifying my assumption is correct. 😉 I tasted the jam after the thickness test and it’s amazing! I’m so glad I did this. Thanks. 🙂
Friends, if you don’t freeze it or use it up after a week or so, but decide to store in jars, simply putting lids on hot jars while it’s hot is not safe.
To avoid botulism you must process the finished jam in the hot water bath. It is not worth the risk to save a few minutes of time if it has the potential to kill your family. You may never have had problems before, but it only takes once. Food poisoning is more common but you don’t want that to happen either. Water bath canning is simple!!!
To learn more about canning and botulism, go to this website. https://www.cdc.gov/features/homecanning/index.html You can find a link there to learn more about safe canning procedures.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! And you can be sure I’ll use safe canning procedures! Thanks for posting it! And thanks for advising to use safe preservation methods!
You can cut the cooking time by using a box of pectin. Made some today from frozen tomatoes out of the garden. 4 cup tomatoes, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 box pectin, 6 cups sugar.
I started canning a few years ago when I was laid up due to a surgery. It was the best way to pass some time without over doing it while healing. I wanted to can for the main purpose of making a tomato jam for my mother. She was reminiscing one day about her childhood and how they used everything they grew – not wasting. And, not having a lot in the way of money, sweets were what they could make of what they grew. Tomato jam was my mother’s favorite sweet treat the she lovingly remembered making with her mother. As she shared her stories with me, she had this look on her face of dreaminess and sadness at the same time – fond memories past from long, long ago. The second jam I made was tomato jam – the first was my practice go at it with strawberry. When I showed up for a visit with her carrying few jars of tomato jam she was so happy! When we had some of that jam on a fresh biscuit, she smiled, told me it is exactly as she remembered and her eyes teared over. …… I don’t know why I got into this long explanation and almost forgot what I intended to write. : ) I made my jam with white sugar. I will definitely try the brown sugar recipe that you have listed. I didn’t use ginger in mine – used a tad of lemon juice and one batch I added some crushed red peppers with the lemon juice. Both were delicious however, I want to give this one a try for sure. ‘Tis tomato season so that will be my weekend project. Thank you! ….. funny how writing this made my eyes tear over, too.
i love this story!
Do you take skins off tomatoes?
nope!
My mom made tomatoes presures when I was a Child, good on Hot Bisicuts. In the 80’s I made tomatoe jelly from fresh Juice.
I don’t have a scale, and will be using garden tomatoes. I need to have the measurement for the tomatoes in cups, not pounds. Do you know the approximate cups for this recipe?
Sorry, I don’t have measurements like that for this recipe. 🙁
2 pounds is 32 ounces which equals 4 cups.
I had my grandson stand on the scales once I knew his weight I gave him a bag of tomatoes and added tomatoes to the bag until I got the pounds I needed. I wanted to triple the recipe so I needed 6 pounds. His weight 43 pounds then add the tomatoes until the scales showed 49pounds.
smart!!
If you don’t have a food processor or blender ,what would be the best way to crush the fresh tomatoes?
you can grate them into the pot over the course side of box grater. Just watch your knuckles! 🙂
Can we cook this recipe without using brown sugar. Because I don’t like brown sugar.
I haven’t tried it but you can try substituting the same amount of white sugar. The jam won’t have the same deep flavor though and might seem sweeter.
If you try it, let me know how it comes out.
Is there a certain variety of tomatoes that this recipe calls for? 🙂
Any tomatoes will work, but I usually use romas.
I also use Roma tomatoes from my garden. I think they are the best variety for caning. I also use honey as a substitute for any kind of sugar. Adding 2-3 fresh basil leaves will make this jam more fresh and tasty.
Hi! I definitely want to try making this but canning frightens me, I grew up eating all kinds of canned food but I’m afraid that I won’t get it right & will make someone sick. Can this be done as a freezer jam & if so, how long will it be good for?
I definitely understand the hesitation on canning! Unfortunately I’ve never tried freezing it, so I’m not sure (if you give it a try, let me know!). It does last for a while in the fridge, so you could just do a small batch and keep it that way. That’s what I do when I don’t feel like going through the hassle of canning it.
I am definitely trying this…I love tomato jam! Sometimes I pick it but I’d rather just make my own!
Mmmm beautiful! I bet this would taste even extra special with home grown tomatoes.
Hi! My husband LOVES tomato jam & he said this was theeee best!!! I actually centered my brothers Christmas present around it! He got a jar of jam, The Little House Cookbook & a DVDs series of Little House on the Prairie, he LOVED it. I do have a question: what’s the shelf life? (Our didn’t last long enough to know!) Thank you.
After making this, do you store it in fridge or cupboard? I want to ship it for Christmas. Thank you.
As long as you seal the cans (by processing them in a water bath) they can be kept at room temperature. If you don’t process them, you should keep the jam refrigerated.
How long in the water bath?
How long in the water bath?
20 minutes
With all the tomatoes available this is a recipe I think I will get done ! 🙂
I tried this today … Delicious! Is it possible to double or triple?
I’ve doubled it before with no problems, but it does take a little longer to cook down.
My love of cooking, preserving, gardening, and the like came from my beloved Grandma. She passed away in March. We were just talking about her mother’s tomato jam last winter. I’m going to make this for her and our family.
Aww I love this tomato jam story! I’m sure it felt crazy humiliating at the time, but it must have also had a big impact if you remember it so well! Summer tomatoes are the best and I love this way of preserving them for future consumption.
This sounds amazing. I love canning so this is right up my alley. Can’t wait to try it.
I got a jar of Marisa McClellan’s (Food in Jars) tomato jam at a food swap here in Philly and it was love at first taste. I love making it in summer and then eating it in the fall, just after the leaves have fallen. It reminds me of summer when the temperature drops and I remember that the weather will get warm again. So glad you shared this recipe!
Food blogs are what inspired me to start cooking. I saw how easy it was to make gourmet food right in my own kitchen!
Oh, Lauren, I am feeling your pain! That is just the sweetest story. But, on the plus side, you knew you had given her summertime happiness in a jar.
I have a tomato chutney with Indian spices that I make for Christmas gifts, when I can get enough ripe red tomatoes. It goes over a treat! I know we would adore your tomato jam in my house too!
Great story. I’ve never tried tomato jam. Think I need to remedy that.
The tomato jam sound delicious, I think it would be perfect over meatloaf!
The recipe sounds delicious and I’ll pass it on to my husband–who tends our garden. My love of cooking came from watching my Dad in the kitchen (and my enjoyment of delicious food–which I came by naturally–from my Mom). My Dad gave me “The Joy of Cooking” almost 50 years ago, but I use many other cookbooks, too.
I’ve never had tomato jam before, but this sounds really interesting. I would love to try it!
Gosh, this seems perfect for summer! I love slathering jam on saltines (yea, I might be 89 years old) … and I bet this is just about the best thing to go on crackers…or biscuits, or toast, or by the spoonful! Again, just lovely!
What an awesome story about giving your teacher the jam 🙂
Can this be processed (water bath or pressure canner)? If so, how long? Looks aaaamazing.
I honestly don’t know. THe recipe in the book just calls for them to be put into jars and sealed without additional processing.
My favorite source for canning recipes has a similar recipe for a processed jam though – it looks like she does 20 minutes in boiling water. (here’s her recipe: http://foodinjars.com/2010/09/tomato-jam/)
I’ve made zucchini relish before and all you do with that is sterilize the jars, cook the relish, carefully fill the jars with the 1/2 inch head space and cleaning the rims, and tighten the lids. The relish sealed as it cooled. I’m sure the same method would be used with this.
I’m so excited to try this, I’ve never had it, but we love making elaborate cheese plates and this will be a perfect addition.
I’ve never tried tomato jam and I’m really sorry I haven’t! I loved your story! As a child I was very very shy (still am), so I can definitely relate. I would have probably cried and begged my mom to allow me to stay home for like a week. I have to try this jam before tomatoes are no longer in season!
Lauren, oh, the wanting to crawl under the desk feeling! Ugh! But how sweet that you realized that you wanted to cook for others as a result of your teacher’s tomato jam praise! Love the story and thank you for sharing the recipe!
Love tomato jam! It would be great on toasted baguette!
Love tomato jam – and I loved all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as a child (in fact, I still have my boxed set and am just waiting to pass it down to my daughter.) Great memories and a great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
This looks so good! I want this on some biscuits for breakfast!
I love tomato jam and had it for the first time last fall. I’ll have to figure a way to get some extra tomatoes this weekend to try it out 😉
I love tomato jam! Makes me think of summertime 🙂
I love your story, and I felt your pain. I never wanted to do anything that called attention to myself in school, especially in elementary school. I love that you fell in love with cooking at so young an age. I was a bit of a late bloomer myself. 🙂
What a sweet story Lauren! 4th grade!! I have been obsessed with Tomato Jam for years and yours looks deliciously gorgeous!!