I feel like this is a new trendy thing in the world, do you? Jams or jellies that are sweet but savory and go with savory stuff. I’m talking tomato jam on burgers, bacon jam (?) over pimento cheese, that kind of thing. Is it a southern thing? a soon-to-be-passe thing? I don’t know. What I do know, however, is that it is all of a sudden feeling like summer is ending very quickly. Jay and I were walking to lunch yesterday (there’s a taco place that’s mayyyyybe 10 minutes on foot from our house and it’s become our new Sunday outing) and talking about how the weather feels all of a sudden very different. I say that it feels like summer has broken, kind of like a fever. The humidity goes away, the temperature has dropped 5-10 degrees, and the sun is warm but not so piercing.
It’s also the time of year where produce that was amazing 3 weeks ago is somewhat lackluster, like the sad dry tomato plants in our yard that are trying so hard to still produce fruit but it’s just not great anymore. The red tomatoes we get are still delicious, but they seem to not ripen as quickly, or if they do they’ll rot faster when we bring them inside.
Enter, green tomato jam. I love fried green tomatoes as much as the next southerner, but they’re unhealthy and a pain to make at home. Green tomato jam, on the other hand, is easy, just takes a little bit of patience, and lasts and lasts in the fridge. You can make a double or triple batch and can some, but it lasts so well in the fridge that I prefer small batches here and there throughout the coming weeks and months. I’m seeing lots of green tomatoes at grocery stores and our farmer’s market, so snatch them up and make some jam asap. This version is sweet, sticky, spicy, and slightly savory from a little bit of onion. I’ve enjoyed it most with crackers and stinky or really sharp cheeses, the sweetness pairs perfectly with blue cheese especially.
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