Let me introduce you to the Sungold Tomato. This is the first year I’ve grown this prolific plant and it will definitely have a place in the garden in the future.
Sungolds are an indeterminate tomato which means that it will keep growing bearing fruit throughout the season. They need to be staked or supported by some sort of trellis–they grow fast and up to ten feet tall!. They ripen early–they were the first to ripen in my garden this year–to a beautiful golden orange colour. Like all tomato plants they need to be in a sunny location with at least six hours of sunshine a day.
The Sungolds are perfect to eat fresh picked from the garden, in salads, and on veggie trays. I like to make a quick pasta sauce with them by cooking them down in a bit of olive oil and seasoning with salt and pepper and lots of fresh basil–the flavour is sweeter than most other tomatoes.
We are overrun with a plethora of this garden jewel right now. I’ve been tossing them in with the larger Brandywines and Black Krims for soups and stewed tomatoes and I’ll be packaging up a bunch of them to toss in the freezer. No need to blanch these tiny ones–I’ll use them for sauces later and don’t mind the skins.
I came across a recipe for Sungold Tomato Jam recipe the other day and, faced with a plethora of Sungolds, decided to give it a try. I always thought that the words “tomato” and “jam” didn’t belong in the same sentence but I was wrong. This stuff is dee-licious! It will be good served on a cheese tray, as a condiment on sandwiches or burgers, and I might even try it as a glaze on chicken breasts.
I found this basic recipe in a couple of places: My Homespun Home and Food in Jars.
Yield: The recipe says it makes about six 4 ounce jars but I didn’t have any of the smaller jars so put it all together in one pint jar. The yield is just an estimate as it depends on the tomatoes and how much juice then make.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Sungold tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- 2 Tbsp chopped basil
Instructions
- Wash the tomatoes and cut each one in half.
- Combine the chopped tomatoes with the sugar in a large pot. Let sit for one hour to allow the tomatoes to release their juices.
- After an hour, add lemon juice to the tomato mixture and bring it to a boil.
- Cook at a boil for 30-35 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have softened and the syrup has thickened. You might want to use the plate test to determine if your jam is ready.
- Remove from heat, add the chopped basil and half of the lemon zest. Taste, and add the rest of the lemon zest if desired.
Pour the jam into prepared jars, wipe jar rims to ensure they are clean, and apply lids and rings. Store the jars in the refrigerator to be used within a few weeks or process them for 10 minutes in a water bath canner so they can be stored for up to a year.
For my altitude here in Kamloops I need to increase the processing time by 5 minutes. You need to check the altitude for your location and adjust accordingly.
This sounds delicious, Linda. Sungolds are also one of our favorites, but they’re like eating candy so we never accumulate enough to make jam. Next year we may have to plant more plants. This jam would be a terrific holiday present.
Your comment has inspired me, Carol. Shhh…but there are a few folks who may be receiving some of this delicious jam during the holidays!
Dear Linda, my aunt Dorothy used to make–way back in the ’40s and ’50s a delicious tomato jam.( Or maybe a jelly. I’m not sure of the difference between the two words.) So I’m not surprised that you found this jam so tasty. Your photographs made me hungry for some tomato jam and a thick slice of home baked bread. Peace.
How interesting, Dee. I love how some of the things they used to make and do back then are becoming popular again. Making jam and preserving the harvest being one of them.
Linda, I am familiar with Sun Golds as my SIL who lived in Edmonds, WA grew them. Yes, they are prolific and we made certain to visit Edmonds frequently during Sun Gold bearing time. My SIL no longer gardens living in an assisted living center near us and other family now. But I’m going to print out your recipe just in case I run across the variety at a farm stand any time soon. Thanks for sharing of the bounty of your labor and your recipes.
Hi Linda, I’m just trying to decide what to grow this year and remembered your post about this jam. It sounds wonderful, and being Dutch, we always ate our tomatoes with a bit of sugar sprinkled on the as a treat, so I’m looking forward to making some of this! I’ll be adding sungold’s to my seed list! Thanks for the recipe!
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, Carmen!
Sungolds are one of my favorite tomatoes but I don’t have any of them in my garden this year. Not gonna let that happen again! What I have loved is a couple of summers when I had three colors of cherry tomatoes: red, green, and orange. They made the most beautiful salad with a bit of fresh basil and mozarella cheese! I like reading what’s happening in your garden and kitchen.
Three colours of cherry tomatoes sounds lovely, Gretchen! I’m going to keep that in mind for next year. 🙂
Love making sungold jam. Is this recipe super sweet? I made another recipe last weekend without any added sugar and a little bit of vinegar and loved it. I bought a huge batch of sungolds at the farmer’s market so that I could can them but am trying canning for the first time and a bit afraid that without a ton of sugar, it won’t be safe.
Hi Iris. I wouldn’t say it’s “super sweet”. It’s perfect with cheese and crackers which is how we like it. I can assure it, it’s a safe recipe.