A trip to our local farmers market, a few purchases and a basket of ripe cherry tomatoes had me in the kitchen making up a small batch of homemade Cherry Tomato and Apple Jam. Some years back I participated in fairs and had made this jam using ordinary tomatoes with their skins removed. The tasters at the fair were well received, although there were a few who seemed a little horrified at the thought of such a combination… a tomato and apple chutney didn’t seem as terrifying. It would be quite tedious removing the skins from cherry tomatoes, so I have left them on. I love preserves with chunky bits and not a thick overly sweet purée.
As I use less sugar when making homemade preserves like this Doughnut Peach Conserve and Un-cooked Raspberry Jam, all need refrigeration otherwise they quickly spoil. Dividing the jam between a couple of smaller jars rather than a large one means you won’t have the whole jam in use, keeping it fresher.
My sourdough starter “Sabr” is ticking away nicely in the fridge and at least once a week I like to bake a fresh loaf of sourdough bread. When toasted, sourdough makes a lovely robust toast for breakfast and perfect with a spoonful of Tomato and Apple Jam on top. Or, if you don’t mind a few extra calories, spread some creamy feta cheese over a toasted slice and top with a spoonful of Chunky Cherry Tomato and Apple Jam… a salty sweet and pretty delicious start to your day.
Chunky Cherry Tomato and Apple Jam
Ingredients:
300g cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
150g granny smith apples, diced (after peeling and coring)
2 tablespoons of water
200g granulated sugar
juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
You will need 2 x 150ml sterilized preserving jars. Place two small plates into the freezer, see note at the end.
How to make: Add the cherry tomatoes, apple and water into a wide heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and simmer gently until the tomato and apples have softened but still have visible pieces, about 15 minutes.
Next, add the sugar, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Stir over low heat until sugar has dissolved. Raise the heat and cook steadily until setting point has reached, about 15 minutes. Watch the jam carefully and stir towards the end to prevent catching. Once the jam has reached setting point, remove from heat and let cool for about 2 minutes before spooning into prepared jars, cover with a lid. When cool, store the jars of jam in the refrigerator.
Note: Setting Point. Usually I follow the wrinkle test when making preserves. Spoon a teaspoon of the preserve onto a cold saucer taken from the freezer, let it sit for about a minute. The top should have set and when pushed with your finger, the preserve should wrinkle. If not, boil for a couple of minutes and test again. The jam will further set as it cools.
Food and Tools 
Hi Moya, What an interesting combination. I will be inundated with cherry tomatoes soon.
LikeLike
Hi Glenda, lucky you having cherry tomatoes in your garden, I tried growing tomatoes on a few occasions but wasn’t very successful. Enjoy your tomato season 🙂
LikeLike
Yum, I love the slightly savoury flavour of tomato jam. I recently tasted tomato jam with big chunks of preserved ginger that was wonderful, I now need to try it with apple
LikeLike
Yes there is a savory flavor to this jam which is quite pleasant. Chunks of ginger sound delicious, maybe add some in next time 🙂
LikeLike
I can imagine it would be difficult to remove the skins from cherry tomatoes. I do like the sound of your jam xx
LikeLike
I would rather use ordinary tomatoes than spend time trying to remove the skins of cherry tomatoes… maybe you will give it a try 🙂
LikeLike
What an absolutely lovely blog! I’ve just started my own blog so I am very new to it all, but I have certainly been inspired by yours. Thank you for the inspiration, and the recipes – I will definitely be trying some! 🙂 Do visit my blog.
LikeLike
Nithya thank you for visiting and nice to know you found some inspiration here. Best of luck with your new blog and yes I will visit 🙂
LikeLike
I’ve got all of these ingredients in my garden so thank you for this recipe Moya 🙂 Your bread looks ah-mazing!!!!
LikeLike
Your welcome Jan, sounds like you have a wonderful garden 🙂
LikeLike
Wow! What an unusual combination, but looks great and tasty with that bread! 😀
LikeLike
Bread and jam… there’e nothing better 🙂
LikeLike