Tons of Tomatoes

Like a lot of people we decided to plant a vegetable garden this year.  We planted cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, etc.  The one thing we really have an abundance of is tomatoes.  I like tomatoes, but there are only so many sandwiches and salads you can eat before you get tired of them.  So, I decided to try something different – Tomato Jam.  I have to be honest, it sounds terrible.  The first thing you think of when you think of jam is strawberry or blueberry, something really sweet.  You really don't put tomatoes in that category.  

I had a ton of tomatoes that were going to go bad if I didn’t do something with them, so I decided to give it a try.  I’m glad I did.  The jam itself has a nice sweetness to it along with spiced overtones.  Once you taste it, you can think of a ton of uses for it.  It will go well with breakfast or would also sit very well on a sandwich.

As you can see from the picture above, I did not remove the seeds from the tomatoes.  It really doesn't make a difference, but if you were to serve this formally, you would want to remove the seeds.  But, when cooking for my family - it's just not that serious.  I put the tomato jam on toast and topped with a fried egg.  You will be able to think of a million combinations with this jam.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 lbs. Ripe Tomatoes
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 tbs Pineapple Orange Juice
• 1 ts Ginger
• 1 ts Cumin
• 1/4 ts Cinnamon
• 1/2 ts Ground Cloves
• 1/2 ts Nutmeg
• 1/2 ts Chipotle Powder
• 1 tbs Vanilla Extract

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Peel tomatoes
• 2
  Combine ingredients and bring to a boil on medium heat.
• 3
  Once boiling, turn down and let simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.