When you have an abundance of cherry tomatoes in your garden, fermented cherry tomatoes are one of the best and healthiest ways to preserve them!
I had so many cherry tomatoes in the garden this year. And now, we’re in December and the garden is still pumping out tomatoes (despite the cooler weather!) Everyone else I know is getting snow and having to deal with very cold winter temps and I’m here harvesting tomatoes.
I definitely won’t complain though!
While it was neat at first, after a while I found it to be quite overwhelming. It’s hard to consume such an abundance. We knew we could try and eat them all, but I wanted to try something different. Who can resist these little fermented cherry tomato bombs?
Fermenting cherry tomatoes is a bit different than fermenting other foods. The biggest trick to fermenting cherry tomatoes is to use tomatoes that are not entirely ripe. If your tomato plant is pumping out tomatoes that are taking a long time to fully ripen, then ferment them.
If you ferment tomatoes that are fully ripe, then there is a greater likelihood that the sugars in the tomatoes will turn into alcohol.
(I’ve tried this and believe me, you want to make sure the tomatoes are under ripe!)
If you have a cherry tomato plant then that is growing like crazy with tomatoes, but the tomatoes aren’t ripening [completely] don’t panic. Fermented cherry tomato bombs are the way to go.
Fermented Cherry Tomatoes
Equipment
- fermentation weights
- fermentation airlock
- fermentation silicone lid
- wide mouth canning jar in pint or quart
Ingredients
- 4 C cherry tomatoes under ripe
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp pickling spice peppercorns, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, etc.
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 C unchlorinated water
- 2.5 Tbsp sea salt *not iodized
Optional:
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
Instructions
- Gently heat the water to dissolve the salt. Remove from the stove and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Put the spices, garlic, bay leaves and optional parsley & basil in your quart (or 2 pint size) wide mouth canning jars. Top with your cherry tomatoes.
- Pour the brine over the contents of the jar, covering the contents completely.
- Use a fermentation weight to keep the contents of the jar submerged under the brine. Cover with an airlock or a silicone lid.
- Place in a cool pantry or cabinet for 5-7 days. Taste them after 5 days to determine if extra time is needed. If not, cover with a regular lid and store in the fridge.
- The tomatoes are best consumed after 7-10 days. Refrigeration will slow fermentation but not halt fermentation completely. Fermented tomatoes will keep for several weeks if refrigerated.
Notes
- 4 C. of cherry tomatoes makes around 2 pints (1 quart) of fermented cherry tomatoes.
- non-iodized kosher salt can be substituted for sea salt.
Nutrition
Have you ever thought of fermenting cherry tomatoes? If you have, how did they turn out? Did you enjoy them over regular cherry tomatoes?
If you give this recipe a try, please leave a comment, rate the recipe and be sure to tag me on Instagram!
I have fermented tomatoes and love the flavor. I add spices to each batch. I am wondering – since it is only me, can I “can” these to keep from wasting ones I don’t eat? I know the good bacteria will be lost, but I am wondering if I can keep the flavor.
You know.. I’m not really sure. If I were you, I’d prob reach out to ball canning — if you call their phone line, you can run the recipe by them via phone and they can tell you if it’s safe to can. I have done that several times with other things. I haven’t thought of canning them (and you are right .. they will lose the good bacteria).