Cherry Tomato Jam
Cherry tomatoes are, in my humble opinion, the fruits of summer sunshine - so, logic would have it that this jam is a jar of summer sun. I have no doubt you will continue to find new ways of incorporating this Cherry Tomato Jam into many of the meals that fill your summer days. There are the obvious: cheese spread, sandwiches, toast, and savory scones. But, it’s also great with roasted meats, burgers (technically a sandwich), eggs, pizzas, and…now your turn: you tell us!
The recipes we are sharing here are for small batches, using one pint of cherry tomatoes each, and are not meant for long-term keeping — not that you’d have much luck keeping the jars from disappearing!
(If you want to try canning cherry tomato jam, you may need to adjust the acidity levels in our recipes, and you should definitely consult and follow the guidelines here for safe canning: National Center for Home Food Preservation.)
What’s most fun about making cherry tomato jam is playing around with different flavor combinations by using different add-ins.
The first year we made Cherry Tomato Jam we tried four different recipes, each using different combinations of spices and fresh add-ins (dried spices, fresh jalapenos, onions, garlic, herbs…) and it was so fun to taste test and compare them all!
We ended up tweaking the proportions and coming up with our own recipes, our favorites of which we are sharing here: a basic recipe (a favorite for the fact that it concentrates the flavors of the cherry tomatoes in a great way, while also offering a base of potential to play around with), and one with a somewhat classic “tomato jam”/ketchup mix of add-in spices that result in a deeply satisfying sweet and savory spread.
First, the basic…
Cherry Tomato Jam
The cook time for this jam may vary depending on the variety and ripeness of cherry tomatoes you use. Keep a close eye on the pot while you cook - don’t walk away! - and determine when it’s “done” based on the thickness/consistency of the jam. Because this is a small batch, it cooks relatively quickly - most of my batches were done within 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp vinegar (Of your choosing! Apple cider, white distilled, red wine, white balsamic, champagne would all be great…)
½ tsp salt
Method:
Halve the cherry tomatoes and place in a non-reactive, heavy bottomed, pot (preferably non-stick, too!); combine with sugar and salt. Leave covered at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, up to a few hours, to let the sugar and salt dissolve as they coax the juices out of the tomatoes – toss periodically.
Add the vinegar to the tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook over medium-high heat for about 20-35 minutes:
Stir occasionally for the first 10-15 minutes; as the juices thicken you should begin to watch more closely and stir constantly for the duration of cook time.
You may need to crush the tomatoes with the back of your spoon or spatula towards the end of the cook time to help them break down and achieve a smoother jam consistency
Once the tomatoes have reached a “jammy” consistency you are happy with, remove from heat and transfer to clean glass jars or containers.
Seal the jar and let cool before storing in the refrigerator.
Now that you’ve got the basics down, here’s our favorite enhanced cherry tomato jam:
Spiced Cherry Tomato Jam
This jam uses the same proportions and method as the simple tomato jam, but with a little added flair by way of baking spices and dried peppers! We used some dried Sugar Rush Peach peppers from our farm and they were perfect - medium level heat, with a floral/fruity flavor notes.
Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp coriander
¼ tsp clove
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp chili flakes
Directions:
Follow the same steps for the basic Tomato Jam above, adding in the coriander, clove, cinnamon, chili flakes before cooking down the jam.
Now that you’ve got that down, try playing around with other flavor additions, if you feel so inclined! Garlic, onions, ginger, herbs, and different types of chili pepper flakes, and spices.