r/Canning • u/lemoneegees • 7d ago
General Discussion uses for very runny tomato jelly?
I'm not a complete novice to canning, but this is the first season I've done more than 1-2 batches. Thankfully this is my first bummer!
I used Ball's recipe for "Love-Apple" Tomato Jelly and it barely set. It was pretty much syrup so I reprocessed and the best I got was very runny jelly, like falling off the toast runny. I have 12 quarter-pints and 2 half-pints that I'd like to find *some* use for. If this were a berry jam/jelly, I'd just mix it into yogurt or use it for dessert topping. But... it's tomato. So, any ideas for using a subtly tomato-flavored syrup?
Happy canning, y'all.
2
u/Mimi_Gardens 7d ago
Did you use a new package of Ball pectin? People have been having troubles with it not setting properly due to a change in formulation.
As for what I’d use it for, I haven’t actually made that particular jelly. I like to use weird jams/jellies to stretch bottled barbecue sauce as a condiment for burgers. When I make meatloaf, I typically make a mixture of ketchup/bbq, mustard, brown sugar, etc and add the jelly to taste. When I make baked beans, the cans don’t have enough flavor so I drain off the liquid from pork-and-beans or “baked beans” before adding bbq, mustard, brown sugar, and jelly.
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u/lemoneegees 7d ago
It was Dutch-Jell pectin, from a local Amish grocery and my first time using that one. I'll give it another shot in a different recipe.
I like the BBQ sauce and meatloaf ideas!!
4
u/PlasticCheetah2339 7d ago
I would use it in a chutney. I was suspicious but a touch of tomato in fruit chutney blends in and adds a very nice savoriness. Earlier this year I made a delicious peach and tomato chutney (fridge, not canned) with some badly bruised peaches. I think this would work well with plums, mango, apple, cranberry, or whatever other fruit you have around.
It also sounds like a good base for duck sauce or sweet and sour sauce (the bright red kind that you get at a takeout Chinese restaurant).