Green Tomato Marmalade

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Green tomato marmalade is an old-fashioned preserve that turns hard, unripe tomatoes into a bright citrus spread, with whole slices of orange and lemon in the jar. It sets on the fruit's own pectin with nothing added.

Prep Time3 20

Cook Time30

Canning Time10

Total Time4

Course: marmalade

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Green Tomato Canning Recipes, green tomato marmalade, green tomato preserves, marmalade without pectin

Servings: servings, makes 3 half pint jars

Equipment

Water Bath Canner
Canning Jars, Lids and Bands

Ingredients

2 lbs green tomatoes cored and thinly sliced, see notes
3 cups granulated sugar
1 orange thinly sliced and quartered, peel on
1 lemon thinly sliced and quartered, peel on

Instructions

Core the green tomatoes, cut them in half, lay the halves flat, and slice them into thin half moons.
Trim the ends off the orange and the lemon, quarter them lengthwise, and pull out the seeds.
Slice the citrus quarters as thin as you can, peel and all, into small quarter moons.
Combine the tomatoes, orange, lemon, and sugar in a large bowl and stir until the fruit is coated.
Cover the bowl and leave it overnight, on the counter or in the fridge, until the fruit is sitting in syrup. An hour is the minimum.
Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids, and keep the jars hot until you fill them.
Scrape the fruit and all of its syrup into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot and bring it to a boil over medium high heat.
Boil hard, stirring most of the time, until the tomato slices turn translucent and the syrup is thick and glossy, about 30 minutes.
Test for the gel stage at 220 degrees F, or until a spoonful wrinkles on a frozen plate.
Remove the pot from the heat and skim off any foam.
Ladle the hot marmalade into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, adjust the headspace, and wipe the rims clean.
Center the lids on the jars and screw the bands down to fingertip tight.
Process quarter pints and half pints in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and wait 5 minutes before lifting the jars out onto a towel.
Cool 12 to 24 hours, check the seals, take the bands off, and store in a cool, dark place.

Notes

Yield and measuring: Starts with 2 pounds of green tomatoes as picked, about 8 cups sliced, and finishes at 3 half pints. Wash a fourth jar, since a longer cook gives a firmer marmalade and less of it.

Recipe source: Follows NCHFP guidance for jams and jellies. Neither the NCHFP nor the USDA has a green tomato marmalade, so this is the traditional version.

Slicing and peeling: Green tomatoes are never peeled. Slice everything as thin as you can, since thin slices are what make the citrus peel tender instead of chewy.

Pectin and set: No added pectin. Unripe tomatoes and citrus peel carry plenty of their own. Cook to 220 degrees F at sea level, or until a spoonful wrinkles on a frozen plate. The set point drops about 1 degree per 500 feet of elevation.

Sugar: Adjustable, and not a safety change. Less sugar means a longer cook, a softer set, and fewer jars. For a truly low-sugar marmalade that still sets firmly, use Pomona's pectin.

Batch size: Halves and doubles cleanly, about 6 half pints from 4 pounds of tomatoes, with a few more minutes of boiling. Don't go past double, because a deep pot takes so long to reach the gel stage that the fruit overcooks before it sets.

Canning optional: Keeps a few weeks in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer. Use straight-sided freezer-safe jars, since a shouldered jar cracks as the marmalade expands, and leave 1 inch of headspace.

Altitude adjustments: Processing time for quarter pints and half pints in a water bath canner.

0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes

Storage: Sealed jars keep 12 to 18 months in a cool, dark place with the bands off, and the color deepens toward amber. Refrigerate after opening and use within 1 to 2 weeks.

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