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SWEET, SAVORY, SPICY-AS-YOU-WANT-IT, TOMATO JAM IS AS DELICIOUSLY VERSATILE AS IT IS SIMPLE TO MAKE

As backyard gardens begin overflowing with sun-ripened beefsteaks and farm stands are boasting a rainbow crop of heirlooms and old favorites, tomatoes rightfully take center stage on summer plates. But what to do with that big basket of gorgeous—and sometimes delightfully ugly—fruits when you’ve drizzled balsamic glaze upon every imaginable variation of a caprese salad?

Sometimes the simplest preparation is the most delicious—and deliciously versatile. Sweet, savory, spicy-as-you-want-it tomato jam is the perfect example. A few basic ingredients slow-simmered in a single pot and you’ve captured summer in a mason jar. And, although farm-to-table seasonal beauties are best, the following recipe from cooking instructor Jacqui Renager is forgiving enough for even those suspiciously pink, mealy store-bought tomatoes available all winter long.

“This is a recipe you can whip up in no time and enjoy it all year if preserved by canning,” Renager says. “I prefer to leave the tomato skins on because it adds texture, and the acidity from the limes and clementines add the perfect brightness to balance out the sweet.”

Schmear the finished product on a right-out-of-the-oven biscuit and call it a great morning. Take avocado toast to the next level. Add dazzle to a grilled burger with a little tomato jam and smoked gouda sauce in place of the standard cheese slice and LTM. Pair it with pork, chicken, salmon or your favorite local BBQ. Generously top a wheel of brie with jam and bake for a quick and crowd-pleasing appetizer. Whisk it into a vinaigrette or add a dollop onto a freshly fried corn fritter. There are as many possibilities as there are tomato varieties.

Renager offers a few tips for success including choosing clementines over other types of oranges because they produce the most consistently plentiful sweet juice when squeezed and have less of the unwanted white pith when zested. She says “don’t get caught up in the small stuff” when chopping the tomatoes—it doesn’t matter how they look—but do use a serrated knife to make easy work of them.

Just as there are many varieties of tomatoes, there are plenty of variations on tomato jam. Change up the spice combinations or go skinless if you prefer a smoother texture. If you want a more jelly-like consistency, shorten the cooking time. Want more of a chutney? Add to the cooking time. Stir in crumbled bacon to take it over the top.

Dial back or turn up the heat to your liking with more or less jalapeños, pepper flakes or a dash or two (or 20) of your go-to hot sauce. However you make it, be sure to make enough to share with your friends and neighbors

BY LEONA BAKER, PHOTOS BY KATHY KEENEY

Tomato Jam

RECIPE BY JACQUI RENAGAR OF FUN IN THE KITCHEN WITH JACQUI (WWW.COOKINGWITHJACQUI.COM)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds ripe local tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed clementine orange juice
2 tablespoons orange zest (for brightness)
1 tablespoon minced ginger or ginger puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño or hot pepper stemmed and minced (seeded or not, your choice) OR 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. (Peeling the tomatoes first is a personal preference. Some like the skins in the jam, some do not.) Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use or preserve in mason jars.

TO PRESERVE
Transfer the hot jam to your mason jars leaving 1/2 inch at the top unfilled. Wipe rims of the jars, cover with lids, and screw bands on until just barely tight. Put the jars on rack in a deep pot and cover completely with
water. Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, uncover pot, and allow jars to rest in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove jars from pot and allow them to rest undisturbed on countertop for six hours or overnight

is it okay to love my skin?
and i’m sorry-not-sorry if this discussion or topic makes your skin crawl
like mine does whenever i see police sirens
or confederate flags
or another black body running out of breath and time and life
i’ve spent my life uncertain of my beauty.
like i was not comprised of cosmic dust
blessed with earth’s tone
and i just want to know
is it okay to love my brown skin…
or does that scare you?
i throw paperbag tests in the trash
and retrieve my soul
WATCH ME GLOW
i don’t know if you understand how paramount this is to
my survival.

i’d like to think that there was room on this planet
for this onyx soul

is it okay to smile back in the mirror?
can i love this African inheritance
or would it be more comfortable if i were that transparent opaque you keep trying to turn me into
dismissing my royalty
forgetting my triumph
disputing the value of my existence
so pardon me for finding tones of glory in my melanin

these days
self-love feels like a rebellious act
pride fees like a hate crime
how am i to tell my children to own their flesh with heads held high
when our middle and high schools still hold virtual town halls over pigmentation
debates on the virtues of beyonces versus kellys
crying literal tears over the sun’s gracious rays
baptizing them in God’s gaze
like their blackness is something to avoid
like each step they take isn’t a dream realized
like their grandfathers didn’t die to wave posters proclaiming
I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD

why should that scare you?

i tell them words that your magazines and tv screens and rap gods find hard to admit
the sin of truth
and say
you and your dark skin
your black skin
your god-kissed flesh
are TOO beautiful.
i will call my beautiful black boy by his name
tell him to stand strong
look each man in the eye when he speaks
walk with conviction
like the world already knows of your greatness.
i will let my beautiful, magical black girls know
they are daughters of an Amazon
and their lives do matter
and they are literally, statistically destined to be here
to exist
to take up space
despite all odds.
i will have them celebrate their kinky hair
their thick lips and full nose
own their identity and mobility
before someone else does.

should the day come when you hashtag me
be sure to include the letters B-L-A-C-K M-A-N
each one a vibrant verb
oh i love this skin I’m in
this trinidadian flesh
bred and fed by Newark streets
this is not anti-police
this is performative
because this is not a love waiting for someone else to validate
this fist has always been raised this high for me
sent from my ancestors
this is preparing a home cooked meal that i get to enjoy
this is crafting a new narrative for generations to come
this is my history, shaking inside my ribcage
like a calypso heart beat
you wish you could move like this

watch me
love my black skin
and if your response is hate
maybe you should ask yourself
why you love yours
so much.

– (c) Nicholas Steven George