The weekly bag of heirloom tomatoes has been wonderful, but kind of overwhelming. We haven’t been cooking as much since we moved, especially with friends visiting and my birthday, so fruits and vegetables have been building up in the fridge. This morning, I had a full peck of tomatoes on hand.
I’d been making a lot of heirloom salads, but I’ve been wanting something different. Maybe soup, maybe a tart, maybe jam? I’ve been wanting a savory jam, something to spread on fancy crackers with vegan cheese and crudités, or maybe on some toasted cheese sandwiches. It’s easy enough for me, easier than a tart, at least. And it’s too hot for soup. So I made some jam. Heirloom tomato jam to call back the best days of summer.
I initially started from this recipe, but after browsing multiple tomato recipes, the ratios seemed off, and I know tomatoes aren’t acidic enough for there to be any wiggle room. I kept the idea of the spices, though, and paired them with this recipe. I used 2 cups of brown sugar, 1 1/2 of white, a mix of mulling spices plus cinnamon sticks and star anise, plus 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar with some balsamic and fresh lemon juice, as I didn’t have any canned. I cooked the jam down until there was about a third as much in the pot as I started with, which took about 3 hours. It made 3 pints of sweet, rich, full-of-summery jam. Charcuterie boards get ready.
Rhubarb Season 