Honeyed Tomato-Jalapeno Jam

Step 1

Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

Step 2

Wash and rinse jars, lids, and screw bands. Set screw bands aside until ready to use. Place jars in boiling water bath canner with a rack, fill at least 2/3 of the way full with water, and bring to a boil. Boil jars for 10 minutes to sterilize (add 1 additional minute of sterilizing time for every 1000 feet above sea level), then turn down heat and let jars stand in hot water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small pan, bring to a low simmer, and hold there until ready to use.

Step 3

Remove skins from tomatoes. To do this, heat a pot of water to boiling, place tomatoes in boiling water — just a couple of tomatoes at a time — for 30 to 60 seconds, or until the skin splits. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and immediately submerge them in a large bowl of ice water. The skins will slip right off. If the skin did not split during blanching (which occasionally happens), simply nick the skin with a paring knife and peel the skin off. Discard the skins.

Step 4

Slice tomatoes in half, remove and discard the cores, then dice the tomatoes.

Step 5

Place diced tomatoes and the finely-chopped jalapeno peppers in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 6

Remove the pan from the heat, empty the tomato mixture into a bowl or other heat-proof container, then measure out 4 cups of the tomato mixture. (If you have any left over, you can use it for something else.) Pour the measured quantity of the tomato mixture back into the sauce pan. Add lime juice and calcium water, then stir to combine.

Step 7

In a separate bowl, combine the honey and pectin powder. Mix well and set aside.

Step 8

Bring the tomato mixture to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the honey-pectin mixture, Then stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, still over the highest heat, to dissolve pectin. Return the jam to a full boil, then remove from heat.

Step 9

Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with jam, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims with a damp cloth, and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).

Step 10

Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, return the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)

Step 11

Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner.

Step 12

Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Then confirm that jars have sealed. Remove screw bands from sealed jars, rinse off outside of jars if necessary, label jars, and store for later use. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.