Sunday, March 10, 2013

Yellow Tomato & Ginger Conserve

Yellow Tomato & Ginger Conserve

I need to make a small confession.  I’ve spoken much in recent posts about our fabulous tomato crop, which might lead you to believe that I’m quite the gardener.  In truth, I have a profound fear of pretty much anything bigger than an ant and smaller than a cat.  Not only does this include any rodents and rodent-like critters (e.g. hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, etc), but all manner of insects and garden creatures.  Creepy crawly things, such as spiders, cicadas, worms, caterpillars, earwigs, and so on, while seemingly harmless to most of you I’m sure, fill me with abject terror.  I also have quite a phobia about the feeling of dirt on my skin - yes, I know you can wear gloves in the garden, but I seem to have smallish hands and gardening gloves (even the small size ones) always seem so large, so that my hands seem to flop around in them like the proverbial in a bowler hat!

So, the long and the short of it is that my gardening prowess extends to supervising (something for which I’m convinced I have an absolute gift), staking up the tomato plants (it’s creepy and scary, but I can just manage that bit), and harvesting, which is of course the great joy of any vegetable garden.

As part of my harvesting duty, I’ve been gathering bowl after bowl full of these babies ...


Little yellow, tear-drop shaped, cherry tomatoes.  I like to eat these straight off the vine while I’m harvesting other things - it’s kind of like eating candy and feels like a bit of a treat for being brave enough to go into the garden.  I love them also tossed into salads and pasta dishes, and I’ve discovered that they make great jam.

I came across a recipe for Yellow Tomato Conserve in A Passion for Preserves by Frederica Langeland, which seemed like a great way to use up some of the surplus.  I adapted the recipe only slightly, adding some crystallised ginger in at the end, and the results were so good I couldn’t wait to make a second batch, which I made without the ginger (since not everyone is a ginger lover).  Both variations are exceptionally good.  The colour is gorgeous and I’m loving it on crumpets in the morning for breakfast, although I think there are enough savoury notes in the flavour that it could be paired with other foods in the same way you might a sweet chutney.  I’m thinking that this could be quite a nice accompaniment to Indian food.  Either way, I hope you’ll give this a try.

Yellow Tomato & Ginger Conserve Recipe
Adapted from recipe by Frederica Langeland from
Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1kg (2lb) yellow tear-drop cherry tomatoes
1 lemon
4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
knob or two of butter
1/4 cup crystallised ginger, very finely chopped (optional)

Trim the stem ends from the tomatoes and cut them in half.

Cut the lemon into quarters.  Flick out any seeds, and then cut the quarters into very thin slices.

Yellow Tomato Conserve 1

Put water and sugar into a large pan, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved and you have a syrup.

Yellow Tomato Conserve 2

Add the tomatoes and lemon slices to the pan, and cook until thick about 40-45 minutes.  Towards the end of the cooking time, stir in a knob or two of butter to disperse any scum.

Remove from heat and stir in the crystallised ginger if using.

Fill hot, sterilised jars to within .5cm (1/4 inch) of the top.  Using a damp cloth, wipe the rims of the jars clean, and put on the lids and screw on firmly.  Turn jars upside down for a couple of minutes, then turn upright again and leave to cool completely.

17 comments:

  1. I'm with you on the creepy crawlies! What a fascinating jam! I've had pumpkin and ginger before but never tomato and ginger!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, pumpkin and ginger has me thinking. I have been mad for preserving and jam making this summer, and have been wondering what I might put up when autumn/winter rolls around. Pumpkin and ginger sounds like a great idea.

      Pleased I'm not alone on the crawly phobia xo

      Delete
  2. Sounds delicious Sue and looks very pretty. I must get onto more preserving while the stone fruit is about.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Alli. I've been going a bit crazy on the preserving front, but still haven't done as much as I would like to. Hopefully might still get a bit more stone fruit bottled.

      Delete
  3. This looks amazing. I never tire of cheese and chutneys, hence always looking for new ones. This looks and sounds great.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks David - this would be a good accompaniment to cheese I think. Thanks for stopping by - hope you'll visit again.

      Delete
  4. Brilliant! Another cooking adventure will set its course when I have this on my kitchen. Glad you've suggested this one. Hopping on that book. Got my eye on your next posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jeane. It is definitely a book to look out for. I borrowed it from the library, but have it on my wishlist now to add to my collection.

      Delete
  5. Snap, I have these tomatoes and admit to an occasional binge in the greenhouse. Sounds like you have the perfect job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Julie. Yes, I'm pretty happy with my job - don't like any of that planting and getting hands in the dirt business!

      Delete
  6. The perfect way to use those wonderful yellow gems!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a lovely jewel-like treat. You've packed summer in a jar :-). Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mary - it does look rather like bottled summer, doesn't it :-)

      Delete
  8. You will appreciate y our hard work, when you take a bottle of something special off the shelf. This is an unusual combo but I can see its potential.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, Chaya. I'm definitely loving being able to pluck a jar of bottled goodness off the shelves.

      Delete
  9. This is so pretty Sue and I love the ginger in it! ;-)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. I love hearing from you and your comments are like gold to me. Your comment will be visible as soon as it has been approved.