Tomato Basil Jam is a wonderful way to use up a garden bounty of tomatoes and. hearty basil – perfect to spread on fresh sourdough bread or gift to family!
Every grocery store has that one small little area of reduced priced fruit or veggies. You know… the fruit that’s a bit bruised, less than perfect, not quite as shiny – it’s usually bagged in red netting for a much reduced price…
- A few apples for $.99
- Sometimes a good 6-10 Roma tomatoes
- Limes that have lost their luster..
- Sometimes even avocados or eggplant that’s a bit too squishy
Aside from the day old bread rack, the reduced veggie rack is my favorite part of the grocery store. It is where I “beeline” every time I walk in the supermarket, hoping to find something new I can use for jam or jelly. I love these fruits and veggies – they may not be perfect, but they are perfect to me.
Canning with Less than Perfect Fruits and Veggies
Canning is therapeutic – it’s an art, but yet at the same time, it’s a science. Creating new combinations of fruit and trying to calculate how much sugar and pectin is required for the jam or jelly to set is challenging, stressful and yet fun at the same time.
This tomato basil jam is the creation of a huge bag of tomatoes from the day old rack at the market. Combined with basil, sugar and lemon juice, it is the perfect combination of flavors. Spread it on sourdough, English muffins, or even focaccia bread.
Gift to friends and family or hoard it all for yourself – you will want to keep this recipe handy to make many more jars in the future.
This recipe results in 4 half pints + 1 jelly jar of beautiful Tomato Basil Jam. It came together easily with these simple ingredients:
- 4 quite large tomatoes
- 1/4 C. lemon juice
- 1 bunch of basil
- low-sugar pectin
- granulated sugar
Stretch the jam even further by using jelly jars in lieu of half pint jars. I’ve found that Walmart has the best prices on canning jars (when and if you can find them!)
Tomato Basil Jam
To start, wash the tomatoes. Remove peels (do this by dropping tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunging into ice cold water). Finely chop and measure out 3.5 C.
Place the chopped tomatoes into large stockpot (6-8 quart) or Dutch oven. Heat to boiling, then immediately reduce heat. Cover, simmer 10 minutes. Measure out 3 1/3 C tomatoes; return to your large pot.
Add lemon juice and basil. Combine the 1/4 C. sugar and pectin – stir into the tomato mixture. Heat to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Carefully stir in the 3 C. sugar and return mixture to a full rolling boil; boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with a metal spoon.
Immediately ladle jam into hot, sterilized, half pint canning jars. Allow 1/4 inch headspace per jar. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids.
TO PROCESS THE JELLY:
Place jars in your water bath canner on an elevated rack. Lower the rack into the canner with the hot water. Add water around the jars so that the water covers the jars by at least 1″ (jars should not be touching). Cover the canner with the lid. Process the jars in your water bath canner for 10 minutes – the time starts when the water starts to boil.
ADJUSTMENTS FOR ALTITUDE:
- 1,001 – 3,000 feet: 10 minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: additional 15 minutes
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet: additional 20 minutes
- 8,001 to 10,000 feet: 25 minutes
After the jars have processed, carefully remove them from the water bath canner and allow them to stand upright on a towel as they cool. Let the jars sit, undisturbed for up to 24 hours. The jars will seal as they cool (you will hear a “ping”) – avoid pushing the lid down on the center of the jar until the jars are completely cooled. The jam may take up to 24 hours to set.
Once cooled, check the seal by pushing the middle of the lid with your finger – it should not bounce back. If it does, the jars are not sealed and will need to be reprocessed. If you don’t want to reprocess, you can refrigerate those jars and use them first.
Label your jars and store in a cool pantry for up to 12 months. Once opened, refrigerated jars may be used within 3 weeks.
Tomato Basil Jam
Equipment
- half pint canning jars, lids and rings
- Water Bath Canner
- medium saucepan
- canning jar funnel and ladle
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs tomatoes 5-6 large tomatoes
- 1/4 C lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
- 1/4 C granulated sugar
- 1 pkg powdered fruit pectin for lower sugar recipes
- 3 C granulated sugar
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes. Remove peels (do this by dropping tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute, then plunging into ice cold water). Finely chop and measure out 3.5 C.
- Place chopped tomatoes into large stockpot (6-8 quart) or Dutch oven. Heat to boiling, then immediately reduce heat. Cover, simmer 10 minutes. Measure out 3 1/3 C tomatoes; return to your large pot.
- Add lemon juice and basil. Combine the 1/4 C. sugar and pectin - stir into the tomato mixture. Heat to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the 3 C. sugar. Return mixture to a full rolling boil; boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam with a metal spoon.
- Immediately ladle jam into hot, sterilized, half pint canning jars. Allow 1/4 inch headspace per jar. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (start timing when water starts to boil).
- Remove jars from canner; cool on counter or wire rack. As jars cool, they will seal (you will hear them "ping"). Jars may take up to 24 hours to seal - once sealed, lids will not bounce back when pushed down. Recipe makes 4 half pints
Notes
ADJUSTMENTS FOR ALTITUDE:
- 1,001 – 3,000 feet: 10 minutes
- 3,001 to 6,000 feet: additional 15 minutes
- 6,001 to 8,000 feet: additional 20 minutes
- 8,001 to 10,000 feet: 25 minutes
Did you make this yummy Tomato Basil Jam? If you did, please take a second to rate the recipe and leave a comment.
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