This green Tomato Jam recipe is for anyone that wonders what to make with those end-of-season green tomatoes. Make this preserve today and enjoy it throughout the winter. Such a great addition to cheese boards!
Have you ever wondered what to do with green tomatoes?
If you think tomatoes and jam do not belong in the same sentence, I understand. I felt the same way until I tried this unusual jam recipe.
If you’ve followed my blog over the years, you know that I love to make fruit jams, jellies, and jars of fruit butter. In the past, I’ve shared this wonderful recipe for strawberry jam and this easy recipe for concord grape jelly.
To be honest, the first time I saw this recipe, I was more than a little intrigued.
I’ve never thought about preserving green tomatoes.
I decided to try it out and share my results with all of you.
Green tomato jam ingredients
- Green tomatoes! No surprise here. Specifically, we are using tomatoes that did not have a chance to ripen. In other words, unripe red tomatoes.
- Sugar. An essential ingredient in most jam recipes. You can read all about it here.
- Lemon. By using the whole lemon, we are maximizing taste.
- Honey. A little goes a long way in contributing a very distinct kind of sweetness.
- Water. Required to get the whole process started.
As far as accessories are concerned, we need a cutting board and a sharp knife to cut the tomatoes and the lemon. We also need a large, heavy-bottomed pot, a wooden spoon and a few jam jars to store our jam.
A kitchen scale also comes in handy to weigh the exact amount of tomatoes we need to make these tomato preserves.
Are you ready to start slicing some green tomatoes?
Instructions
Let’s begin by preparing the tomatoes. We need about two pounds. Rinse and pat them dry with a tea towel. Remove the core and slice about a half-inch thick. Place the tomato slices in a large pot.
Next, we are going to use just half an organic lemon for our two pounds of tomatoes. Remove the zest and cut it into thin julienne strips. Then, slice the same half lemon into one-quarter-inch thick slices.
Add the lemon slices and zest to the pot along with the 2 cups of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 cup of water.
Bring this mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 1½ hours. Make sure to stir it every few minutes or so. Notice how the jam deepens in color and the texture begins to thicken.
While the tomato jam is doing what it is supposed to do, wash and sterilize the jam jars and lids. The total yield for this recipe is 2½ cups.
When the jam has thickened, simply spoon into the prepared jam jars. Once the jars have cooled down completely, cover and refrigerate or freeze.
Tips
- Make sure to use unripe red tomatoes and not tomatoes that remain green even when they are ripe (ex. tomatillos).
- The total yield for this recipe is 2½ cups.
- Can be refrigerated for up to one month or frozen for up to three.
- If desired, enhance the overall flavor by adding 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and a few pinches of cinnamon.
How to use green tomato jam
- makes a great addition to cheese boards
- use as a spread for sandwiches, biscuits and cornbread.
Fruit preservation recipes we love
Recipe origins
I find it almost impossible to walk out of any bookstore without a book. As you can probably imagine, the cookbook section is my favorite.
The links on this blog are affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a commission if you use those links (there’s no extra charge to you).
A few years ago, I purchased a book called Trattoria by Ursula Ferrigno, in a second-hand book store. Needless to say, I was intrigued by one of her recipes which she entitled “Green Tomato Preserve“.
Growing up Italian in Montreal meant I was extremely familiar with food preservation. My parents’ home, like so many in our neighborhood, had a cantina. This room was dedicated to all foods that were preserved, or in the process of being preserved.
The cantina was always located in the basement. You could usually find at least one reach-in freezer and a refrigerator in this area.
Depending on what time of the year it was, you could find prosciutto, a string of Italian sausage or capicollo, in different stages of being cured. This area usually had shelves upon which you would most certainly find canned tomatoes, Italian Giardiniera, home-cured olives and lupini.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
This jam made with green tomatoes was not part of my upbringing, but I was hooked from the moment I tried it.
I now have a few jars in the refrigerator, located in my cantina. Yes, I have one in my house 😉
So if you ask yourself, “What can I do with unripe green tomatoes?”
You can make this recipe!
Hope you get a chance to try it!
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
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Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this green jam recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Green Tomato Jam
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatoes unripe red tomatoes
- ½ lemon organic
- 2 cups sugar granulated,
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Rinse and pat dry the green tomatoes.
- Remove the core and cut into slices that are ½-inch thick.
- Place the tomato slices in a large, heavy bottomed pot.
- Peel the lemon zest from the lemon and slice as thinly as possible.
- Slice the lemon half into ¼-inch slices.
- Add the lemon slices, lemon zest, sugar, honey and water to the pot.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for about 1½ hours. Stir the mixture every few minutes.
- Once the jam has thickened, spoon into sterilized jam jars and allow to cool down completely.
- Once the jam filled jars have cooled down, cover and refrigerate if using right away or freeze for longer storage period.
Notes
- Make sure to use unripe red tomatoes and not tomatoes that remain green even when they are ripe (ex. tomatillos).
- The total yield for this recipe is 2½ cups.
- Can be refrigerated for up to one month or frozen for up to three.
- This tomato jam makes a great addition to cheese boards.
- If desired, enhance the overall flavor by adding 1 tablespoon of grated ginger and a few pinches of cinnamon.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 7, 2018 and republished on September 30, 2019 with updated content.
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Kara
I made this with the last of my green tomatoes and loved it so much, I had to get my hands on more green tomatoes so I could make a couple more batches. It is by far my favorite jam!
Maria
Thanks so much Kara!
Lucy White
I LOVE IT!!!! I had extra tomatoes cause we had a cold snap so I looked up recipes on what to do. I love easy so I tried it and I made 2 batches of jam. It came out perfect. I added jalapeños and it was perfectly spicy. Thank you so much for the recipe I love it and will make it again
Susan
Tried this recipe using the green tomatoes and Serrano peppers from my garden for a spicy kick. Looking forward to trying it with cornbread. Thanks for the recipe!
Maria
Sounds delicious Susan! What a great idea! Thanks so much for sharing.
GOODE DIANE
Green tomato jam: Made it, love it and I’m sharing it. Thank you Maria!
Maria
Great! Thank you Diane!
Alix
Does it have to be a particular variety? Can I use unripe cherry tomatoes?
Maria
No particular variety. That’s a great question Alix. I have never tried… I think you can probably sneak in a handful or so without affecting the texture of the jam. I would love to hear about your results if you do decide to try it.
Meri Schroeder
Wow – who would’ve thought of making jam out of green tomatoes? We had just about two pounds of tomatoes left on our vine (and are leaving for a trip), so I wanted to use them up before taking off. This was the perfect recipe. It is a bit sweet; if I made this again I’d cut down on the sugar. But other than that, a great recipe!
Maria
Thanks Meri. Appreciate your feedback. Have a wonderful trip!
ShelleyJ
Oh. My. Gosh. I am Shocked and stunned by this beautiful recipe! So refreshingly delicious! The only thing I did Different was to double the recipe (so happy I did That) and I used My stick blender ti break up some of the chunks) the lemon is EVERYTHING. Who knew???? I’m not kidding both my husband and I Moaned as we ate a cracker with sharp cheddar and jam. I’m having company this week and it will be the star of the cheese board!!!!! Thank you for posting.
Maria
How wonderful Shelley! I am so thrilled to read this, thanks so much for sharing.
Lily
Is it possible to can them?
Maria
Great question Lily. I have never canned them. My concern would be if the tomatoes have enough acidity adequate for safe canning. If you have freezer space, I would recommend freezing them. Thanks again for your interest.
Laela Arnold
Delicious! I did pulse mine a bit with an immersion blender before the end to make smaller chunks. I made 2 different green tomato jam recipes and this was my favorite!
Maria
How wonderful Laela! Thanks so much for taking the time to share, appreciate it!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I’ve had tomato jam in restaurants but have never made it myself. It is something I must try.
Maria
It really makes a great addition to any cheese platter… I think you would enjoy it Karen. Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Nicoletta Sugarlovespices
My father, the jam maker 😉 , also makes a green tomato jam and we all love it. I have never made it, but I’m guessing it is similar to yours. Love the pictures with the different steps, and the finished product seems so delightful. Yes, I see a cheese board, and also toast, but I also see a spoon going in there and enjoying it as is 🙂 . Beautiful!
Maria
Thanks Nicoletta! I fell in love with this green jam recipe from the moment I tried it. It’s a great conversation starter. Thanks so much for dropping by ❤️