Tomato & Basil Jam

Putting my Great Aunt's scale to use

I have been trying to come up with creative ways to use my tomatoes.  Usually we are able to add cherry tomatoes to whatever we are having that night - either cooked or raw.  But this year, the heirloom yellow cherry tomato plant I grew is producing more than I know what to do with!

In my quest to find something else to do with all these tomatoes I came across a recipe for yellow tomato jam.  Its a savory spread, like red peeper jelly.  We will likely be using it with cheese and crackers or something of the sort.

I found the recipe at Food in Jars (which btw is an awesome site for new canning recipes), but I have since seen a few others out there that I might try the next time I make it. 

I had absolutely no trouble picking 4 lbs of tomatoes straight off my plant to use, but you could also supplement with any other tomatoes you want.  Keep in mind, cherry tomatoes will result in a much sweeter spread than a variety like lemon boys.

The recipe was easy enough, my only issue was that it took forever to get to gel (220 degrees F).  I don't know if my tomatoes had more moisture in them or what, but it definitely took over an hour to get the     temperature up.  Even then, I gave up around 217 because it was so hot in my kitchen and I was fed up.  The result was definitely firm enough for my liking, but if you want a proper gel make sure that you have the time (and patience!) when trying this recipe.

Not sure if this recipe will get added to the regular rotation yet or not -- I guess we will find out once my family tastes the jam!

The result was 10 jars of delicious looking jam!