At this time of year, after Labor day, when the nights are much cooler and the days are sunny and dry, we drift into the end of tomato season on Cape Cod.  Like many, I anticipate the arrival of tomatoes ripened on the vine, warmed by the sun, so juicy they sometimes crack open at the touch.  I cannot wait to make a tomato sandwich with slices stacked so high, I can barely get my mouth around it.  Tomato and cucumber salad, tomatoes with just salt and pepper as a side dish, tomato tarts and tomato pies.  The possibilities seem endless for this versatile fruit.  Until they don’t.  Until I get tired of all of the tomato recipes I cannot wait to make while I pine away thinking about them during cold winter months.  But I also cannot stand to see any go to waste.  That is why I now make tomato jam.  It’s fast, easy and works with all types of tomatoes even those sad looking store bought cherry tomatoes on supermarket shelves in February.  But the best tomato jam is made and devoured right now in September. Continue reading →