Green tomato jam recipe

End of summer is fast approaching and it's time to harvest the last tomatoes ripe in the garden. Do you still have many green tomatoes and worry they won't have time to ripen? Indeed, autumn rains bring the dreaded late blight and night frosts, which prevent proper ripeness of your fruit. However, there are delicious recipes, the best-known and easiest being a tasty green tomato jam, also called "green tomato chutney".

Follow our step-by-step recipe to make delicious homemade green tomato jam.

An easy jam to enjoy tomatoes all year round

When to harvest green tomatoes?

Harvesting green tomatoes is mostly done in late summer, around September or October, when night temperatures begin to fall significantly and rain becomes more frequent. This period can vary from region to region depending on climate, but also on the appearance of late blight, this fungal disease that can strike even in midsummer when there is too much rain or thunderstorms.

Some gardeners wait for the first signs of late blight to harvest: small brown or whitish spots appear on the foliage and stems, then the leaves wither very quickly. You must act fast to harvest all immature tomatoes, before they become affected and rot.

Late blight spreads first to leaves, then to tomatoes. So harvest as soon as first signs appear

Green tomato jam recipe

Ingredients :

1 kg of unripe green tomatoes.
1 kg of granulated or white sugar.
5 cl of lemon juice or an organic lemon.
choice: 1 sachet of vanilla sugar (or a vanilla pod) or 1 teaspoon ground ginger.

Cooking time :

30 minutes

Recipe :

Before starting your jam, don't forget to sterilise jars and lids.

1/ Wash your tomatoes thoroughly and discard those affected by late blight.

Note: for this recipe you can leave the tomato skins and the seeds. However, if you don't like them, you can peel them and remove the pips before continuing the recipe.

2/ Cut your tomatoes into cubes, then place them in a large saucepan, a pot or a jam pan.
3/ Add the granulated sugar and the lemon juice.
4/ Facultative: add either a sachet of vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon ground ginger.

making green tomato jam

5/ Place the pan over a low heat and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Remember to skim off foam using a skimming spoon.

green tomato jam recipe

6/ At the end of cooking, check jam consistency so it's not too runny. To do this, put a small teaspoon of jam on a cold plate, chill in the fridge for 1 to 2 minutes. Then tilt the plate: the jam should flow slowly. If it still seems too runny, cook for another 5 minutes until you obtain the right consistency.
7/ Immediately ladle your jam into sterilised jars. Fill jars to the brim.
8/ Screw the lid on straight away, then turn the jar upside down. Use a cloth or an oven glove to avoid burning yourself.

7/ Let jars cool. Store them afterwards in a dark place at room temperature.
8/ Once a jam jar is opened, keep it in the fridge.

My tips:

If you don't like tomato seeds, pass your fruit through a food mill after step 1. Then continue the recipe.
If you don't like large pieces of fruit, you can blend the mixture 5 minutes before the end of cooking.