Herbed Tomato Marmalade

Marie Overton
Jul 4, 2022
2 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Similar to the tomato jam, I thought Herbed Tomato Marmalade was going to be disgusting. I couldn’t shake the idea that jams and jellies should be made from sweet fruits and berries. Adding herbs seemed so strange as well. And, well, a vegetable made into a jam just seemed WRONG! I should have known better. I love eating jalapeno jelly with cream cheese on crackers and this marmalade is perfect to eat the same way. It is also fabulous on a toasted baguette.

Crackers with cream cheese and orange jam on a white plate. A jar of jam with a spoon beside it on a wooden table.

Herbed Tomato Marmalade

This recipe makes 5 half-pints of Herbed Tomato Marmalade.

Ingredients to make Herbed Tomato Marmalade:

3 pounds quartered tomatoes
4.5 cups sugar
6 tablespoons pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoon lemon peel
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon butter (optional)

Cooking:

Hands slicing ripe red tomatoes on a wooden cutting board, set on a speckled countertop. Bright kitchen mood.

Soften the quartered tomatoes by simmering for about 20 minutes.

Person using a grinder to process tomato sauce in a kitchen. Sauce pours onto a sieve over a pink bucket. Gray countertop and cabinets.

Process the soft tomatoes through a food mill.

Hands hold a pot with red sauce and herbs. Measuring cups and utensils on a granite countertop. Mixing ingredients for cooking.

Place the milled tomatoes in a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients except the sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Hands stirring white sugar into red sauce in a pot on a stove. Granite countertop and hexagon-patterned backsplash in the kitchen.

Add the sugar and return to a hard rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Equipment Preparation:

While your Herbed Tomato Marmalade is boiling on the stove it is time to prepare your canning equipment.

Fill your boiling water bath canner half full with water and place it on the stove on low to begin heating. Do not let it get too hot, just warm it up.

Gather your ladle, jar lifter, chopsticks, clean cloth, and any other needed supplies for canning.

Filling and Processing Jars of Herbed Tomato Marmalade:

Person wearing a striped apron ladling jam into jars on a kitchen countertop. Three filled jars are lined up beside empty ones.

Using a jar funnel, Fill the half pint jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace.

Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles.

If you spilled on the edge or rim of the jar, use a clean, damp cloth to wipe the rim clean.

Place the lid on top of the jar and add the ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight.

Open jar of red jam with spoon, surrounded by sealed jars on a speckled countertop. Green plant and dark textured pot in background. Cozy vibe.

Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes if at sea level. Remember to adjust your processing time if you are above 1000 feet in elevation.

Once your jars have completed processing, remove the lid, turn off the heat and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Then, use the jar lifter to remove them from the boiling water bath canner. Space the jars about an inch apart on a heat resistant surface for 24 hours to cool and completely seal.

If your jar did not seal, then place it in the refrigerator and use it immediately.

A jar of Herb Tomato Marmalade on a table, surrounded by cherry tomatoes. A green basil leaf is nearby. Rustic and fresh vibe.

Store the sealed jars in your pantry to enjoy for the next 1-3 years. After three years the nutritional value of canned food diminishes. The quality is best during the first year.