Let's put one thing straight: Tomatoes are fruit, so why not make them into jam? Tomato jam will delight and surprise your friends with its palate-tickling balance of sweet and savory, and intense tomato flavor. It is the king of savory jams. 

Every year I put up several jars of the stuff, along with oven-dried tomatoes packed in oil. Both capture the essence of the tomato at its peak, delivering a sunny punch of summer flavor in the depths of winter. Imagine: Delicious BLTs during the dark days! 

I've seen a number of tomato jam recipes that add too much sugar, or throw in a laundry list of spices that at best turn it into sweet ketchup and at worst a muddy jumble of flavors. To my mind this is a terrible crime against the naturally beautiful flavor of the tomato. Let it be the star here. 

By far the best tomato for this recipe is the Early Girl. It has a robust flavor and excellent balance of sweetness and acidity. Other paste tomatoes like plum work well, as would many sweeter cherry tomatoes. Avoid the larger, waterier, blander heirlooms, no matter how beautiful they look. 

It is possible to reach the gel point without adding pectin, especially if you leave the seeds and skins in. I choose to puree fresh tomatoes, removing as much of the skins and seeds as possible, as they also add bitterness. I added a small amount of homemade pectin, which helped give this jam a delicate set, but it is optional. 

More tomato jam recipes on Punk Domestics.