Green Tomato Jam
I know, I know … Green Tomato Jam … this WonkyWonderful chick has gone Bonkers! That’s what you’re thinking, Right?When I came across a recipe for Green Tomato Preserves in a vintage cookbook I thought it sounded absolutely bizarre. I love fried green tomatoes but the idea of sugary sweet green tomatoes was not appealing.But Hey, what the heck? You can’t say you don’t like something if you’ve never tried it. Plus it was one of the least complicated recipes in the cookbook. Being the lazy cook that I am I decided to give it a try.
For my first batch I followed the recipe printed in the Plantation Cookery of Old Louisiana cookbook, copyright 1938. The result was tasty but the amount of sugar that the recipe calls for is INSANE! (One pound of sugar for every two pounds of tomatoes)
While the recipe was far too saccharine for my liking, I was inspired to create this tangy, slightly sweet Green Tomato Jam.
Now for the super complicated instructions…Toss all the ingredients into a saucepan or pot.Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low or medium low depending how vigilant you are about stirring.
Occasionally stir and continue to cook until thickened. (I cooked mine on low for an hour)
Remove and discard ginger and cloves.
Let cool then seal it in a jar or container.
Store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs chopped Green Tomatoes measures to about 4 cups
- 1/2 cup honey
- Juice of 2 lemons and the peels yellow portion only sliced or chopped
- 1 inch long sliver of fresh ginger optional
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Toss all the ingredients into a saucepan or pot.Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low or medium low depending how vigilant you are about stirring.
Occasionally stir and continue to cook until thickened. (I cooked mine on low for an hour)
Remove and discard ginger and cloves.
Let cool then seal it in a jar or container.
Store in the refrigerator and use within two weeks.
Nutrition
If you have any questions, I am more than happy to help … Leave a comment or email me: wonkywonderful@gmail.com



My son passed this recipe link on to me when I told him the frost had left me with armloads of large green tomatoes – simmering on the stove now. DELICIOUS SMELL filling the house. My tip: PEEL the lemon zest off the lemons before juicing them – MUCH easier than cutting off the yellow and leaving the white after they are all squeezed out! A vegetable peeler does the job easy peazy. You don’t have to ask me how I know this, right? Exactly!
Hi Becky! Yes, that is definitely a great tip! Zesting/Peeling the lemons before juicing is definitely the easier route 🙂
We served the jam last night to dinner guests and everyone went crazy. SOOOOO GOOD!!
So today I harvested another 4 lbs of green tomatoes from the garden and tomorrow we will pick up more lemons and do this again. So good. SO INCREDIBLY GOOD omg.
We ate more than half the first 16 oz jar in less than 24 hours… uh oh!! Gonna freeze the next batch so we have them when Tom and Setta and the rest of the kids come visit in December.
Holy Maloney SO GOOD!
I’m so glad you and your guests enjoyed! Green Tomato Jam does sound strange but is so crazy delicious! I always end up eating my jam straight from the jar with a spoon, lol 🙂
Can ÿôu water bath or pressure can this recipe? I have no more room in my freezer.
I’m sorry, I’m not a canner. So I’m no help there at all :/
Can you add maple syrup to make it a little sweeter?