Does anyone here make tomato jelly/jam?

[babylonsister]

My mom used to and it was delicious (involved raisins iirc) but I can't find her recipe and she's no longer here to ask.
I think we're going to have an abundance of tomatoes here soon, so I am going to make jelly, something I have never done before.
Any tips or recipes will be appreciated, and thank you!

[PoliticAverse]

1. Tomato jelly is a thing? n/t

[Borchkins]

2. Never heard of it

Is it sweet or savory, or a bit of both?

[babylonsister]

4. Sweet; doesn't taste a thing like tomatoes really,

if memory serves, because I'm not a big fan of raw tomatoes.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. I made it with my mother one time when I was still living at home.

I don't know where she got the recipe, but it was really good. (A neighbor had bought a bushel of cherry tomatoes thinking they were red plums.) Not only did it taste good, the color was gorgeous. It was delicious on toast. I'm sure we didn't use raisins in ours.

I tried to make it years later, but never duplicated that first batch. Most recipes I found used a lot of lemon and I'm sure we didn't use that either.

[CherokeeDem]

5. It's delicious....

I know I have seen a recipe from Martha Stewart. Prompting me to want to try it... Going to have lots of tomatoes here too! Good luck.

[babylonsister]

17. This recipe is da bomb.

I posted it below. My mom died in 1990 but I still remember how delish it was.

[murielm99]

6. I made it years ago when my husband

planted a lot of yellow tomatoes. I have no idea where the recipe is now.

[babylonsister]

16. I did see a lot of recipes for yellow tomatoes in my searches. nt

[Old Terp]

7. Could it have been a chutney rather than a jam?

Could not find any tomato jam or jellies with raisins but then I remembered the green tomato chutney I made one year. There are a bunch of red tomato and raisins chutney recipes on line. They sound very tasty.

[babylonsister]

9. No, it was jelly/jam. nt

[redstatebluegirl]

8. I think I have my Grandma's recipe somewhere around here I will look for it.

[babylonsister]

10. Thanks! My sister is going to look, too. Will share if I find it. nt

[redstatebluegirl]

11. I'm so sorry I can't find it. I have boxes and boxes of her recipes I really need to organize them.

I'd like to see it if you find it!

[babylonsister]

12. I'll let you know, and thanks for looking.

[babylonsister]

14. My sister couldn't find it but this is a reasonable facsimile

she confirmed for me. I will add raisins when I give it a go.

Spiced Tomato Jam

3 cups prepared tomatoes (prepare about 2¼ pounds tomatoes)

1½ teaspoons grated lemon rind

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ cup lemon juice

4½ cups sugar

1 box powdered pectin

Prepare tomatoes: Wash firm ripe tomatoes; scald, peel, and chop. Place chopped tomatoes in saucepan and heat slowly to simmering, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Measure 3 cups cooked tomatoes into a large saucepan. Add lemon rind, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Make jam: Add lemon juice to prepared tomatoes in saucepan. Measure sugar and set aside. Stir powdered pectin into prepared tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once, stir in sugar. Stir and bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Then boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam. Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner.

(Adapted from "So Easy to Preserve", 5th ed. 2006. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens; shared by Mary Meehan-Strub)

[redstatebluegirl]

18. Thank you!

[eleny]

13. Yes, many years ago, for something very similar

Over 40 years ago I found a recipe for tomato prune jam in the New York Daily News. I lost track of the recipe and haven't been able to find it. The recipe I did find online had cardamom and cloves in it but I don't recall any exotic ingredients.

I would look for a recipe for tomato jam and just add cooked raisins to it. Maybe just bring them to a boil in water, turn off the heat and let them soften up before adding them to the jam.

I don't think either of us could go wrong just giving it a try. If you remember there being lots of raisins then add several cups. Less raisins than tomatoes. But maybe a 1 to 5 ratio for a first try. Go by how you remember it looked.

I bet it tastes about the same as my long lost tomato prune jam. I'll definitely make that this summer. I got too hung up on canning salsa last year. But I'm making time for it this year. Like you said, it doesn't taste like tomatoes. Maybe there's a pinch of baking soda in the jam. My Italian mil always added a small pinch of it to her sauce to make it taste smoother so we do that, too. But just a small pinch or it removes flavor that can't be replaced.

[babylonsister]

15. I found one!

Prunes would probably work just as well as raisins which I will add when I make this. I have never canned anything so don't know what pectin does to it.

Spiced Tomato Jam

3 cups prepared tomatoes (prepare about 2¼ pounds tomatoes)

1½ teaspoons grated lemon rind

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ cup lemon juice

4½ cups sugar

1 box powdered pectin

Prepare tomatoes: Wash firm ripe tomatoes; scald, peel, and chop. Place chopped tomatoes in saucepan and heat slowly to simmering, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Measure 3 cups cooked tomatoes into a large saucepan. Add lemon rind, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Make jam: Add lemon juice to prepared tomatoes in saucepan. Measure sugar and set aside. Stir powdered pectin into prepared tomatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once, stir in sugar. Stir and bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Then boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam. Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; adjust two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner.

(Adapted from "So Easy to Preserve", 5th ed. 2006. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens; shared by Mary Meehan-Strub)

[eleny]

19. That sounds great

Here's one I found and saved from online. I thought I lost this one, too, but just found it. It's very similar to yours.
TOMATO PRUNE JAM
12 oz pitted prunes
2 lbs ripe tomatoes (4-5 medium)
bouquet garni: 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 3 allspice berries, 2 lemon peel strips
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ c. Granulated sugar
½ c. Brown sugar
1 tbsp (or more to taste) red wine vinegar
Cut prunes into ½” pieces. Dip tomatoes in simmering water for 30 seconds; cool in ice water bath. When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins. Force out seeds into a fine strainer and reserve juices. Coarsely chop tomatoes.
Combine prune, tomatoes, strained juices, and bouquet garni in a deep non-reactive large pot. Cover and bring to a simmer. Uncover and simmer 15 minutes stirring often. Mix will thicken and be free of standing liquid.
Stir in lemon juice, then sugars one at a time. Continue cooking for another 10 min until jam is thicks again and thermometer reads 208-210 degrees f.
Remove from heat, remove bouquet, stir in vinegar. Quickly cool a tablespoon of jam in the freezer and taste for the slightly tart finish of vinegar to balance the sweet fruits. Add more vinegar if desired. Pack into jam jars. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.

And here's another that's so plain I might try this one first real soon but add the pectin according to the number of total cups. No instructions since jam is usually the same procedure. Cook everything together until it thickens and put it in a jar! At least it provides the ratio of sugar to the rest of the ingredients.
Tomato Prune Jam
3 tomatoes
6 pitted prunes
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar