My earliest food memories are of tomatoes…
No joke! One of my earliest memories is picking a tomato from the vine out of my Dad’s garden. I was two and a half or three and sat down and ate those scrumptious tomatoes right then and there. I remember the smell that fills the air when you pull the tomato from the vine. It’s earthy with a hint of grass and a promise of good things to come. I remember, even as a three year old, eating that tomato that was still warm from the heat of the day… magical!
From that point forward I wanted tomato on EVERYTHING!
I remember refusing to eat tacos one night because my Mom had forgotten to get tomatoes from the store. Yep, I would rather go without the taco if it was missing my favorite tomatoes. I was six or seven at the time, but I still have the same feelings as an adult… I just have to act like an adult and not throw a fit.
Tomatoes are truly one of my favorite foods.
Because of that, I was thrilled to find out about Bushel Boy Tomatoes™ grown right here in the USA, in Minnesota to be exact.
The crew at Bushel Boy has developed a fabulous greenhouse system that helps them grow tomatoes year-round. Yep, even in January they have beautiful red, vine ripened tomatoes ready for us to add to our salads and sandwiches.
You can find all kinds of tasty ideas at the Bushel Boy Facebook.
The Bushel Boy Tomatoes are pollinated with bees… the natural way. They also limit the amount of pesticides used and have eliminated herbicides all together. They have worked really hard to create a tomato that takes me back to those magical days in my Dad’s garden.
One of my Dad’s favorite sandwiches of all time is the classic BLT… Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato. Being a tomato lover myself, it’s one of my favorites too. A few years ago my husband and I were at a restaurant and we were introduced to tomato jam. When I read about it on the menu my mind was blown and I couldn’t wait to make my own.
Tomato Jam is both savory and sweet at the same time. It cooks down those flavorful tomatoes into a virtual tomato bomb that really enhances all kinds of sandwiches or appetizers.
You know when you’ve eaten something transcending at a restaurant and wished that you could duplicate that kind of flavor at home, that is what tomato jam does. It takes your normal BLT and kicks it up SEVERAL notches.
The best part… It’s SUPER EASY to make!
This recipe is inspired by Mark Bittman’s Tomato Jam recipe. Tomato Jam is perfect for a high end BLT appetizer OR just your everyday BLT sandwich that we all love. I’ll show you how to make both.
Tomato Jam Recipe
- 1½ lbs. Bushel Boy Tomatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 small red onion
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Wash tomatoes
- Cut in quarters and remove seeds then give them a rough chop.
- Add to a medium, heavy bottom sauce pot and place over high heat.
- Add remaining ingredients and let tomatoes come to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it's nice and thick like jam. You should be able to run a spoon down the center of the pot and the jam will stay in place.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Place in a jar, refrigerate for up to one week.
First, wash and prep your tomatoes.
Cut tomatoes in quarter and remove the seeds.
Give them a rough chop.
Add the rest of your ingredients and place over high heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce to medium-low to simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat when your tomatoes have cooked down to a jam consistency.
Now that you’ve made your tomato jam… Here are two ways you can serve it.
BLT Crostini with Tomato Jam Appetizer
You can find the recipe HERE.
Or you can have a slightly fancy…
BLT Sandwich with Tomato Jam
Now that I’ve gotten you in a tomato mood… How about a GIVEAWAY!
The lovely folks at Bushel Boy are giving one of you a fabulous Wüsthof Tomato Knife. Here’s what you need to do to enter.
What is your favorite way to use tomatoes?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bushel Boy Tomatoes. The opinions and text are all mine.
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I like to slice off the tops of tomatoes, drizzle olive oil over them, then top with garlic powder and parmesan cheese. Then I bake them. So yummy.
Tomatoes have always been on my family’s table as well! Born and raised in the south , that’s just the way we grow up. I have never tried tomato jam , but i plan to make some very soon, thanks for the recipe.
My favorite tomato recipe is to saute diced tomatoes with chicken breast. The tomatoes really compliment the chicken breast, and it is just so delicious!
tomato basil soup… the best!
My favorite is Tomato tarts:
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sheets puff pastry (thawed according to package instructions)
1 large Safest Choice egg, plus 1 teaspoon water beaten
2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ cup pepperjack cheese, shredded
fresh parsley and herbs
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt butter and olive oil in skillet over medium heat.
Add sliced onions to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook, continuing to stir, until tender and golden brown (this process takes a while- up to 20 minutes) then set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Using a round cookie cutter, cut circles of dough out of puff pastry and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Brush egg wash on each pastry circle then top each with a tomato slice in the direct center.
Next add caramelized onions on top of each tomato slice and sprinkle shredded cheese and fresh parsley and herbs on top.
Bake for 16-20 minutes or until tarts are puffy and golden brown and cheese has turned golden and melty. Cool for a few minutes then serve.
I like to grill thick slices of tomato under the broiler (like an English person!) and eat them with andoile sausages and eggs (like the New Orleans person that I am) on toast.
I love a good old bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich – extra tomato and mayo!
My favorite tomato recipe is to just boil down all of the tomatoes from our garden for hours with added Italian herbs, and then puree it. We freeze it in big batches and use it as our base for spaghetti sauce!
I like fresh tomatoes in salads
I love my grandmother’s homemade tomato sauce recipe!
My tomato faves are simple ones – fresh garden salsa or a Caprese salad with tomatoes and basil picked right out of the yard!
My favorite uncooked tomato recipe is cherry tomatoes stuffed with flavored cream cheese. My favorite cooked tomato recipe is spaghetti sauce.