Hi everyone,

I'm super keen to make some tomato jam, and am finding wild discrepencies in terms of the amount of vinegar to be used. Knowing that tomatoes are high acid (but very low in the high-acid realm), I'm wondering what is safe. For example, Pomona Pectin offers a recipe with 2c chopped, crushed tomatoes, and 2T lemon juice. Based on the other discussions I've seen here, I think some would have cause for concern. Or not?

Also, I stumbled across this specifically not-for-canning recipe, but based on the Pomona ratios, it seems like it should be more than fine:

6 pounds tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I've made this with both roma and beefsteak type tomatoes and prefer the latter)

2 cups cider vinegar

1 cup dark brown sugar

3 cups sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp whole yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp ground yellow mustard

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 cup lime juice

3 tbsp grated lime zest

The mysterious world of canning...

I would like to add my thank you to the previous poster's comment. This community is terrific and I thank you all for the time you take (and the patience you show) us newbies.

In other news, I harvested (foraged!) about 15lb of wild apples yesterday! Woo hoo!!