Save Those Green Tomatoes Now! Jam to the Rescue

Walking through my Northwest Philly neighborhood on the way to work this morning, I noticed two things: air brisk enough to make me look like Puff the Magic Dragon and tons of forlorn green or semi-ripe tomatoes, hanging sadly from their cages and trellises.

In green, green Germantown, it seemed like nearly every block had a bushel of the unharvested fruit awaiting the final cold snap—one that looks likely to come this week as temps dip below freezing. Once the tomatoes freeze and thaw, all those burst cells inside will leave the meat mushy and unappealing.

But if you have a bunch of green tomatoes in the backyard because you (like me) couldn’t bring yourself to rip out this year’s bushes, this is your last shot to turn them into something wonderful: GREEN TOMATO JAM!

I adapted the following recipe from Mark Bittman of the New York Times and have salvaged the last tomatoes of the season every year for the last few years. In addition to alleviating the guilt of letting your homegrown produce go to waste, properly preserved jars of this savory-sweet treat make fun holiday gifts for friends and coworkers who appreciate good eats.

10 lbs of green tomatoes that would have gone to waste!

You can adjust the spices to your palate, adding extra zip or dialing it back as you see fit. The resulting dark-green jam is thick, aromatic and, frankly, addictive.

Spread onto sandwiches and grilled cheese, smack a dollop next to your Thanksgiving turkey, or smear atop a pork roast before putting in the oven. Feeling creative? Whisk in some apple cider vinegar to taste and you just made BBQ sauce. Heck, this stuff even works with scrambled eggs!

Harvesting: Pick and wash firm, crisp fruit that hasn’t been damaged by the cold. Semi-ripe tomatoes showing a blush of color will work too, though this recipe works best when the bulk of the fruit—any variety, from cherry to beefsteak works fine—is on the greener side.

Germantown Green Tomato Jamb

• 1 ½ pounds green tomatoes with stems removed.
• 1.5-2 cups light brown sugar (If the jam does not develop the sticky quality/mouthfeel that tells your brain mmmm...jamb, add more sugar to taste. Green tomatoes are lower in sugar compared to ripe.) 
• Juice of one freshly squeezed lime, measuring at least 2 tablespoons (Optional: if you like a little more citrus pop, use the fine side of a box grater and zest the lime before juicing.) 
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 jalapeño or other peppers, stemmed, seeded and minced. Red pepper flakes, cayenne and other mildly spicy peppers will also work. Add to taste, but remember heat and time on the stove will gradually pull more of the spicy capsicum oils out. 

Tip: After cleaning your tomatoes, place them in a double-bag of old plastic grocery bags and bring that with you to weigh when getting the above supplies. Adjust the quantities above based on how much you harvested.

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You'd be surprised how many green tomatoes - about 4 lbs - went into this tomato jamb. I'm already planning for Thanksgiving leftovers + slapping this on some sandwiches ... Used @nytfood recipe, which was intended for red Roma tomatoes, but worked just fine with the green stragglers I harvested while wintering the garden. Nothing wasted! #fallcooking #thanksgiving #thanksgivingprep #nytimesfood #nytimescooking

A post shared by Brian Rademaekers (@rad_phl) on Nov 20, 2016 at 9:38am PST

Process:

1. Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Raise to a boil over medium heat; stirring often and make sure the jam is not burning on the bottom of the pot.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture is like ... thick jam (about 1 1/2 hours).
3. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

This method will keep at least a week, but I prefer to puree the jam in a food processor after it cools and then use basic canning methods to preserve my annual batch.

Spreading your jam out into in 4 oz., wide-mouth jelly jars will let you keep this summer-turned-fall treat on hand until fresh tomatoes return. Add a little fancy ribbon and a scrap of tablecloth and you’ve got a Martha Stewart (or Marisa McClellan)-level holiday gift that goes nicely with a fresh baguet and some sharp local cheddar. 

Now hurry: save those tomatoes!