Tomato Jam

Tomatoes are bountiful in the garden, despite the terrible heat we have had. This year, I decided to try tomato jam. I am not a big fan of sun-dried tomatoes and thought the jam might be a good substitute when I need a punch of tomatoes in a recipe. 

This recipe calls for diced tomatoes but you can substitute fresh tomatoes for the diced, approximately 8 fresh for 14 oz. diced canned tomatoes. 

Saute onion and garlic until translucent, about 5 minutes

Add tomato with juice, sugar, thyme, salt and black pepper.

Cook over medium heat until almost all the liquid evaporates. 

 

This step varies over the juice of the tomatoes. For the fresh tomatoes, it took 2 ½ hours. I am sure this step would be shorter for canned tomatoes.

Cool. 

Add to jars and process in a water canning bath.

Makes 2 ¼ cups of jam. I will use it on some sausage sandwiches I have with peppers and onions. You could also make it hotter with peppers or hot sauce.

You can use it as a substitute for ketchup. Think of burgers or egg sandwiches. Yummy. 

I am saving these for Christmas gifts, too. 

Tomato Jam

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (scant) finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper