OF COURSE I made tomato jam. How could I call my blog "talk of tomatoes" and not always be experimenting with my namesake food? And since small-batch preserves are increasinglya partof my kitchenexperience: tomatoes were on the short list of 'things to can.'

I adore it. I took/cut/pasted and slightly adopted the recipe from Food in Jars, decreasing the pepper flakes just a hint. I am impatiently waiting for another batch of tomatoes to evolve from green to red, so I can make another batch. People always look perplexed if this is the first time they have heard of this roaringly trendy new jam---how to use it? I always tell them: on burgers, sandwiches, with a roast, upgrade your fries or roasted vegetables, tuck some into a red sauce, spread it on your sandwich (fancy BLT?!), eat it with cheese, heat it as a dipping sauce... just make it. Then try it. And then you will know.

Tomato Jam makes 3 1/2 to 5 pints

5 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped 3 1/2 cups sugar 8 tablespoons lime juice 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 tablespoon salt 2 tsp. red chili flakes

Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until it looks jammy; expect this to take an hour/ hour and a half. When jam is ready, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/3 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes. Remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.