Fermented Tomatoes

little white bowl of fermented tomatoes next to jar.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

These fizzy & refreshing fermented cherry tomatoes are a fun, wholesome snack that deliver a great punch of probiotics!

Prep Time10

Fermenting Time6

Total Time6 10

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 18kcal

Author: Holly Lee

Cost: $5

Equipment

Food Scale
quart-size mason jar
easy fermenter lid or other fermentation lid
glass fermentation weight
Sharp Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients

3 cups cherry tomatoes
6-8 cloves fresh garlic
10 leaves basil
2 cups filtered, non-chlorinated water more or less depending on how you fill your jar
20-25 grams sea salt

Instructions

Weigh mason jar on a food scale. Write down the weight of the jar in grams in case the scale gets uncalibrated during the process and you need to subtract it from the final weight. Then, tare the scale to zero.
Give the garlic cloves and basil leaves a rough chop. Do not chop them too small--this will make them less likely to float to the top when you add water. Set aside.
With the jar sitting on the scale, add a layer of tomatoes to the bottom of the jar--about 1/4 of the way full. Top with some roughly chopped garlic and basil. Repeat with another layer of tomatoes, followed by more garlic and basil. Do this until the jar is nearly full--just under the neck of the jar--you want to save enough room for the fermentation weight but do not leave too much head space, either--just enough for the fermentation weight, but do not place the weight yet.
Carefully pour your filtered water over the vegetables in the jar until covered, but do not fill to the rim--save room for salt and fermentation weight. Check the scale & make note of the final weight of the vegetables and water. Write it down.
Take the weight you just wrote down (of the water + vegetables) and multiply it by 0.025. This number is the amount of salt you will use in grams to make a 2.5% salt solution. This will probably be anywhere from 20-23 grams. Round to the nearest gram if needed. You can now remove your jar from the scale.
Measure out the number you calculated for the sea salt into a small dish on your food scale. Pour the measured salt into your jar of vegetables and water. Place the fermentation weight on top and carefully press down--be careful so you don't overflow water everywhere. Screw a lid on the jar (I use my fermenting lid, but if you're not using an easy fermenter lid, you should use a regular lid for this part and add the fermenting lid after the salt is dissolved).
Gently flip your jar back and forth, upside down and right side up, for a couple of minutes to dissolve the salt. It will eventually dissolve, just be patient. You do not need to shake vigorously or heat the water--just patiently flip the jar up and down until you can see that all of the salt has dissolved. Swap the lid for a fermentation lid if needed. See notes for more info.
Leave the jar to ferment for 5-7 days. In warmer weather, 5 days is probably enough, in cooler weather, 7 could be better. Ultimately, the vegetables are done when they are fermented to your taste. Tomatoes should be pleasantly fizzy inside when you eat one.
After opening the tomatoes, make sure you move them to the refrigerator for long term storage.

Video

Notes

Do not vigorously shake to dissolve salt. This could dislodge some of the garlic and basil and send it floating to the top, which we want to try to avoid if possible, and it's also unnecessary. It will dissolve with patient, gentle flipping over a minute or two.

These tomatoes will last several months in the refrigerator from a food safety perspective, however, for best taste and texture, I believe they're best eaten within a week. Tomatoes are very porous, and the longer they sit, the mushier they get. Eat them while they're still crisp and fizzy!

Nutrition