Farmhouse Kitchen Recipe: Fermented Cherry Tomatoes w/ Garlic & Fresh Basil

Stephanie Thurow is a Certified Master Food Preserver and cookbook Author from the land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota.  Stephanie is passionate about teaching others how to preserve the harvest. She specializes in writing easy to understand recipes that put even a novice at ease and she loves teaching hands-on classes around the state (and-soon to-be country). Stephanie is the author of three food preservation cookbooks: Can It & Ferment It, WECK Small-Batch Preserving and just released – WECK Home Preserving! None of Stephanie’s fermented recipes require starter cultures and none of her canned recipes require added pectin, she believes in the heritage methods of preserving food. You can follow Stephanie’s kitchen adventures on here active Instagram account where she shares images and videos of her food preservation escapades or you can subscribe to her blog.

Fermented Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic and Fresh Basil

This recipe is from the cookbook: Can It & Ferment It.

These appetizing tomatoes taste incredible just hours after putting the ingredients together, but become even more flavorful after a couple days of fermentation. Whatever variety of cherry tomatoes you are growing in the garden or have on hand will work for this recipe. We tend to gobble them up straight from the jar, or enjoy as a side dish, but they are also a beautiful and delicious addition to pasta, salads, kebab skewers, or a Bloody Mary.

Yield: 1 quart

3 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, any variety

5 fresh basil leaves

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

Brine: 1 tbsp. kosher salt, dissolved in 2 cups of water

Wash tomatoes and basil with cold water. Put the basil and garlic at the bottom of a clean jar and fill the rest with cherry tomatoes, leaving at least 1 inch of space at the top (headspace).

Mix together the brine and pour it over the tomatoes, just until the tomatoes are completely submerged (leaving some headspace in the jar). A weight is not required for this recipe, as it is such a short fermentation duration. Add the canning jar lid and ring and tighten on the jar. Ferment at room temperature, ideally between 60-75°F (15 to 23°C) and keep out of direct sunlight. Fermentation duration is between 1-3 days

Taste test the tomatoes after a few hours of mixing them together and again 24 hours later, and once again 48 hours later and determine when you are pleased with the garlic-basil flavor. Once the ideal flavor is reached, transfer the jar to the refrigerator with the brine. This ferment is best enjoyed within 2 weeks, as the texture and flavor will continue to change as fermentation does not stop once refrigerated, it just slows way down.

Recipe published with permission from Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.

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ORDER: WECK Small-Batch Preserving (9/2018)

or Can It & Ferment It (2017)

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