We three different tomato jam recipes for you below in the recipe box. You can customize your own spices and make your own original version! These recipes and stories were originally published in 2009. They’re oldies but goodies! We love seeing how much the kids have grown. Sierra isn’t with us anymore but she’s always with us in spirit. Sierra died in 2020.
tomato jam jelly preserve recipes

Tomato Jam Recipes

Explosions of vibrant colored  tomatoes are making waves at farmers markets right now. For those lucky gardeners who didn’t get hit with tomato viruses, bugs or late blight, they’re probably tomatoes coming out of their ears.

We’ve had 50/50 luck this year with our tomatoes, which is utterly confusing. Those that did well are putting out tomatoes faster than we can collect and the ones that didn’t do well tanked desperately to a pile of brown dead leaves. Let’s hope we can figure out our tomato plight for next year because having 9 tomato plants die within 2 weeks is the biggest blow to any gardeners ego. It’s definitely humbling.

But for the other 8 plants that did thrive past any diseases, we’ve decided to extend the bounty and make big batches of tomato jam!

tomato jam jelly preserve recipes

varieties of tomatoes for gardening

Preserving Summer Tomatoes

Tomato jam/jellies/preserves are a delicious, perfectly sweet and versatile. Perfect for Summer’s abundance of tomatoes.  It can be used as a spread on crusty bread or sandwiches, as a nice topping on grilled dishes and a perfect accompaniment to just about anything on your table. Tomato jam can be really addicting and before you realize it, you’ll be adding it to so many dishes to remind you of summer’s tomato glory.

So why not treat it like a sweet fruit and make it into a jam, jelly or preserve? Try it. If you love tomatoes, you’ll love this. Promise! And don’t forget the peanut butter and tomato jam sandwich!

Kiddies Stealing Tomatoes – It’s a good thing!

We hosted a big garden party a few weeks ago for Todd’s Aikido Dojo. It was a family affair with children running all about and enjoying the open and secret hiding places in our garden. All was great fun with the bubbles, hide-and-seek games and toys, but when they asked for a plastic bags, we were suspicious, cautious and a little scared.

kids eating tomatoes

“Why do you want plastic bags for?” we asked with nervous anxiety. “What are you going to do with the bags?” (we might not have kids of our own, but we know when there’s trouble lurking behind those innocent questions!)

“We’re gonna pick fruit!” they squealed as they grabbed the bags and scurried out the kitchen like a pack of excited puppies. We both looked at each other, puzzled at the “pick fruit” part because most of the fruit we have are growing on trees, which are much taller than the 3-4 feet that they are able to reach.

organic gardening for kids | whiteONricecouple.com

Oh no, trouble. So we ran behind them, scared to think of what terror they would be inflicting onto our poor fruit trees, our own babies. When we caught up to them in our tomato patch, we were SHOCKED at what we saw! These little critters were  picking our cherry tomatoes and eating them like they were candy! “We love this fruit!” they screamed as they were stuffing their adorable faces with plump orange Sun Gold tomatoes and Cherry Red tomatoes.

kids with Sierra our dog

Kiddie tomato stealers & Sierra Doggie tomato KILLER! 

Why was it a shock? It was surprising because first of all, they called tomatoes correctly as “fruit” and they were eating them like they were pieces of chocolate truffles. Before we knew it, they’re cute little faces were dripping with tiny tomatoes seeds and their little hands were red with fresh squished tomato juice.

It proves once again that a fresh tomato off the vine is sweet fruit and is truly Nature’s candy that kids of all ages swoon over. And try these tomato jam recipes in a grilled sandwich!

-Diane & Todd

Three Tomato Jam Recipes

Yield: 8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Here are three different tomato jam recipes. The cooking directions for each will be the same, the only thing changing is the ingredients you use. Pick your favorite, make all three, or use them as inspiration to create your own adaptation.
1 lb Tomato = @ 1 pint Jam
5 from 6 votes
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Ingredients

Sweet n' Spicy Tomato Jam Recipe

  • 1 lb (454 g) Tomatoes , roughly cut (some varieties may need to be peeled)
  • 1/2 cup (110 g) Brown Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) minced fresh chilies or to personal taste (Serrano, Thai chilies, jalapeno, habanero, etc.)
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground Cinnamon , preferably Vietnamese Cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground Cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) White Vinegar , or more depending on how tangy you want it
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) fresh Lemon Juice

Tomato Jam w/ Ginger Recipe

  • 1 lb (454 g) Tomatoes , roughly cut (some varieties may need to be peeled)
  • 1/2 cup (110 g) Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) grated or finely minced fresh Ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground Cinnamon , preferably Vietnamese Cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground Cloves
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Apple Cider Vinegar , or more depending on how tangy you want it
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) fresh Lime Juice

Tomato & Thyme Jam Recipe

  • 1 lb (454 g) Tomatoes , roughly cut (some varieties may need to be peeled)
  • 1/2 cup (110 g) Brown Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) finely minced fresh Thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground Cinnamon , preferably Vietnamese Cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground Clove
  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) Balsamic Vinegar , or more depending on how tangy you want it
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml)  fresh Lemon juice

Instructions 

  • Combine all ingredients from your jam of choice in a saucepan, then simmer over med-low heat.  Stir occasionally and gently.  
  • Simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasional and gently. Cook until the mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency. Timing will vary depending on how watery the tomatoes are.
  • Set aside to cool and store in the fridge to keep for a couple weeks. Or for longer term storage, put jam into sterilized jars and can in a water bath (cover lidded canning jars with water about 1" above jars & simmer for about 15 min.)

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 38kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.02g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 5mg, Potassium: 148mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 479IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 13mg, Iron: 0.2mg
Course: Appetizer, Sauce
Cuisine: American, Asian
Calories: 38