Cook of the Month: Kathy Ledford Gledhill, Sand Mountain EC

Kathy Gledhill likes to describe her “Tomato Jam” as “a scaled-down version of tomato relish.” She was trying to think of a way to make the relish without cooking a large quantity, and she came up with this month’s winning recipe. With July being a peak month for eating in-season fresh tomatoes, her jam is a different way to use the favorite summertime food. “I like to use fresh tomatoes and I prefer Roma tomatoes, but it doesn’t matter,” she says. The Roma variety have less seeds and their firm consistency just make them easier to chop. Kathy also uses brown sugar in this recipe, when normally she uses white sugar when she makes a relish. “I just try different things,” she adds. The tomato jam pairs well with any other vegetable and goes very nicely with cornbread, says Kathy. While she doesn’t can her jam, it could be canned to last longer. “I just like to think of it as a way to preserve tomatoes.”