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Mark Bittman's Tomato Jam, Adapted for Canning

This tomato jam recipe for canning is Mark Bittman's sweet-savory refrigerator jam, adapted with a second acid source so it's shelf-stable on the pantry shelf instead of the fridge. Warmly spiced with ginger, cumin, and a hit of citrus, it's perfect on a cheese board, a burger, or straight off a spoon.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Jam, Savory Spread
Cuisine: American
Keyword: canning tomato jam, canning tomatoes, Mark Bittman’s Tomato jam, old fashioned tomato jam recipe, tomato canning recipes, tomato jam canning, tomato jam canning recipe, tomato jam canning recipes, tomato jam canning without pectin, tomato jam for canning, tomato jam recipe, tomato preserve, tomato preserves, what to do with tomatoes
Servings: 3 half-pint (~250 ml) jars
Cost: $2.48 USD / $3.41 CAD per jar

Equipment

  • Wide, heavy-bottomed pot (4–6 quart stainless)
  • Paring knife
  • Potato masher or slotted spoon
  • canning jars with lids and bands
  • water bath or atmospheric steam canner

Ingredients

  • 3.3 lb tomatoes diced (1.5 kg)
  • 2¼ cups sugar granulated (450 g)
  • ½ cup lime juice fresh (120 mL) - divided ¼ cup + ¼ cup; plus zest of 1 lime
  • ¼ cup lemon juice bottled (60 mL)
  • 1½ tsp ginger ground (3.2 g)
  • 2¼ tsp cumin ground (4.5 g)
  • 2¼ tsp salt 13.5 g
  • ½ tsp cinnamon ground (1.3 g)
  • ¼ tsp allspice ground (0.5 g)
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes 0.5 g

Instructions

Prep the tomatoes

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Score a small X into the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife
  • Blanch the tomatoes for 30–60 seconds, just until the skins start to split and curl at the X cut.
  • Remove tomatoes to a clean bowl and let them rest until they are cool to touch.
  • Peel the tomatoes. At this point the skins should slip off easily now. Remove the blossom end from each, and dice into small pieces.

Start the jam

  • Add the diced tomatoes to a wide, heavy-bottomed pot along with the sugar, ¼ cup lime juice, bottled lemon juice, ginger, cumin, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and red pepper flakes. *Reserve the remaining ¼ cup lime juice and the lime zest for later.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for ~ 1 hour 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Take of the heat and use an immersion blender to blend the jam. Alternatively, skip this step if you prefer to leave the jam chunky

Finish with lime and test for set

  • Stir in the reserved lime juice and zest, adding it now, instead of at the start, keeps its flavor brighter in the finished jam.
  • Return the pot to the heat and cook for another 15–20 minutes (your actual time will depend on how high your stove’s heat is)
  • Start testing for set at the 10-minute mark: place a small spoonful on a chilled plate and push the edge with your fingertip. If it wrinkles slightly and holds its shape, it's ready. If not, test again at 15 minutes, then at 20 if needed.

Process the jars

  • Ladle the hot jam into prepared jars, leaving ¼ inch (0.6 cm) headspace.
  • Wipe the rims, apply the lids, and process according to the canning table for this recipe