If you're like me, you want to keep on tasting summer for at least another couple of weeks. I am especially reluctant to say goodbye to the many shades of homegrown tomatoes I've been stuffing myself silly with for the past two months.
Luckily, I still have quite a bit of fruit on my vines (a benefit of planting late this year). While I plan on making much of it into sauce, I'm also turning some of these juicy orbs into a jam. Tomato jam requires just a handful of ingredients and minimal effort, and it is as easy as making applesauce. All you need are ripe tomatoes, some warm spices, a sharp knife, a heavy sauce pot and patience for a few hours as the jam cooks.
Most recipes call for using plum or Roma tomatoes, but I used a combination of yellow, purple and red heirlooms, with a few cherry tomatoes thrown in for good measure. Feel free to play around with the spices _ grated ginger and red pepper flakes add some heat while vinegar counterbalances the sweetness. You also could add cloves, paprika, coriander or allspice.
This recipe makes two 8-ounce jars of jam that will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator or for months if processed in a hot-water bath.
The jam can be spread on toast or biscuits, spooned on top of eggs or cheese, or used as a condiment for meat. But it's especially good slathered inside a crispy grilled cheese sandwich, with more on the side for dipping.
