Tomato Jam

This has been a banner year for tomatoes here in central Indiana.  I did not put up one tomato last summer, but am making up for it this year! After freezing over 20 quarts of fresh tomatoes to be used for chili, soups and sauces, I thought it was time to move on to something new and exciting. I found this great recipe from Eve Fox at The Garden of Eating, for Tomato Jam. I gave it a try, and it received rave revues from the whole family. As I write this, I have my sixth batch simmering on the stove! So if you have an abundance of tomatoes and would love to try something fun, here is the recipe:

You will need 5lbs. of fresh tomatoes, washed and cored.

Next, chop the tomatoes into little pieces, skins and all. After they are all chopped, I would recommend letting them drip out in a strainer in the sink for a bit to drip out the juice. This will cut your cooking time way down.

Place all of your chopped tomatoes into a large stainless steel pot. 

Add:  3 1/2 cups of sugar

          8 tablespoons of lime juice, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar

           2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger

           1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

           1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

           1 tablespoon salt

           1 tablespoon chili flakes

 Stir it all together, and turn the heat on. I cooked my jam higher at first to cook off the liquid quicker. You will want to stir the mixture often at this point. As the jam thickens, reduce the heat to prevent scorching. Continue to stir more frequently as it thickens. If it does stick to the bottom, do NOT scrape the burnt stuff up when you stir it as you will have scorched chunks floating in your jam. You can pour it off into a different pot, or stir very carefully. Continue cooking until it is a nice thick chunky mixture. This will take several hours, so start early in the day! Ladle it into canning jars while it is hot. Process the jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. If you have never done this, you can find good directions online. I believe that the jam could also be frozen in freezer containers.

This jam makes a great dipping sauce for chicken, egg rolls, anything you would use a spicy dipping sauce for. We poured some over a block of cream cheese and spread it on crackers for an absolutely delicious treat! This will make 3-5 pints.

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we have!

Diana

I love to Paint!!!

I am a woman who loves change! Variety is the spice of life to be sure. There are some things, however, which cannot be changed.  It is these things which sometimes cause us frustration, anxiety and sometimes grief.  I have found in these things that God usually wants to change Me. But, when the mood for change comes,  many times something can safely be done. I have been known to change furniture around in  the middle of a sleepless night, to everyone's surprise!  My favorite tool, however, is that magical formula called...PAINT!!!

Quite a few years ago, my daughters and I began collecting paint chips. I believe it coincided with Martha Stewart paint colors and the lovely chips that were available at the paint stores. On rainy days we would get them out and play with them, dreaming of rooms that we could paint. Paint is an inexpensive means of changing the personality of an entire room.  For instance, our family room has been a constant source of irritation for me as I didn't seem able to achieve the homey feel that I wanted. I had painted the room six times in our nine years of living in this house and it never quite felt right to me.

This photo shows the room on the day that it's big change finally came, with everything pushed to the center for the paint job. It was bland and uninviting.When I made my way to the paint store, I landed on a color that I seem to have picked out several times before...once for a bathroom, a kitchen and a deck.  I guess I just like it! So the paint job began and when it was finished, I knew that I had finally found a color that I could live with and enjoy.

So much better! I bought a few remnants to recover a few throw pillows and purchased a lovely rug on clearance at Home Goods which is one of my favorite stores! The taupe walls definitely set a beautiful background for our furniture and draw us into the room. This paint color is a Walmart paint called Mushroom Taupe. It is a very versatile color and very restful. 

Need a change?? Grab that paint brush and get creative!

Diana