Bright ruby red tomatoes are the jewels of the summer. While it’s a requirement to eat summertime tomatoes fresh from the garden and only adulterate them with a sprinkling of salt, when you have a bounty on your hands, make this recipe for Tomato Jam. A slightly sweet and slightly spicy condiment that will harness the taste of summer any time of the year.

Tomato jam has been around for a long time. With the advent of more staple indoor temperatures, the need to preserve the bounty of the summer has decreased, but this Tomato Jam is something not to be forgotten. Additions of warming spices accentuate the natural flavors of the tomato and give it a bit of oomph to hold its weight against other competing flavors.

This recipe is super simple. After prepping your tomatoes, add them into a pot alongside brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and cloves.

Bring this to a boil and reduce to a simmer. The time can vary from twenty to thirty minutes, you’ll want the mixture to look thick and jam-like.

Let the Tomato Jam cool completely before serving

Spread onto crackers or on top of a sandwich, and you have yourself a game changing spread

It’s bright thanks to the vinegar that lends acidity and the sugar that heightens the tomato’s natural sweetness

The cayenne brings the right amount of heat and the ginger, clove, and cinnamon add an interesting and comforting bit of warmth to the spread. It’s a flavor far different than your average run-of-the-mill jam!