Fermented Cherry Tomatoes

Tangy, garlicky, and packed with probiotics, these lacto-fermented cherry tomatoes are one of the easiest ferments to start with. Pack the jar, mix the brine, and in 4-6 days you'll have a batch ready to eat straight from the fridge.

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 10

Fermentation Time 4

Total Time 4 10

Ingredients

1 ½ to 2 lbs cherry tomatoes fresh
2 sprigs fresh dill
4 cloves garlic
5 black peppercorn
¼ teaspoon mustard seed
4 cups water 1000g
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt 32g
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Instructions

Prepare Ingredients:

Prepare for fermenting by washing a fermentation vessel, which can be as simple as a quart mason jar and lid. It does not have to be sanitized or sterilized but should be washed well with hot soapy water. Set aside to dry. Wash tomatoes and fresh dill under warm running water and set aside to dry.
Slice 4 garlic cloves and add to the bottom of your fermentation vessel. Add 2 sprigs fresh dill, 5 whole black peppercorn, and 1/4 tsp mustard seed.
Pack in fresh tomatoes, leaving about 1 inch head space.

Prepare The Brine:

Combine 4 cups of room temperature water with 2 tablespoons of sea salt and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Stir until completely dissolved.
Pour salt brine into the jar, ensuring everything is covered.
Weigh down the ingredients before securing the lid tightly.
Set it aside to ferment.

Ferment The Tomatoes:

Keep your ferment somewhere where you'll see it daily to observe and open the lid and burp it but keep it away from direct sunlight. If you're using an airlock lid or pickle pipe, you won't need to burp your fermented tomatoes.
After a few days, you should start to notice fermenting activity. There will be small bubbles that rush to the top of the jar when you tap it, the jar may hiss slightly when opened, the color of the tomatoes will dull, the brine will be cloudy, and the brine may leak over the top of the jar and run down the sides.
Allow the tomatoes to ferment for 4-6 days. The tomatoes are done when the brine is soured, the tomatoes themselves are nicely sour and soft inside with a hint of effervescence.

Notes

Nutrition Facts Note: Sodium levels are based on the full brine.

Expert Tips

Burp your jar daily if you're using a solid lid. As the live cultures ferment the tomatoes, they release carbon dioxide, which builds pressure inside the jar. Opening the lid briefly once a day lets that gas escape, skip it and the pressure can crack the jar or force brine out.
Good things come to those who wait. These wild fermented cherry tomatoes are ready to eat between days 4 and 6, but if you can wait, letting them rest in the fridge for another 1-2 weeks allows the flavors time to mature and mellow out at the same time.
Keep every ingredient below the brine, no exceptions. This is the single best way to keep unwanted mold at bay. Anything exposed to air above the brine line is a risk, while everything fully submerged ferments safely.
Adjust your timeline for kitchen temperature. The 4-6 day window assumes room temp around 68-72°F. In a warmer kitchen (75°F+), tomatoes can be ready closer to day 3; in a cooler spot, give it an extra day or two before checking.
Look for a color shift and bubbles. Like most ferments, these cherry tomatoes will carbonate a bit, the brine will turn cloudy ,and tomatoes will go from bright, vibrant colors to deeper, muted shades..
While you've got everything out, keep the momentum going. Try fermented garlic or fermented salsa next! Same basic method, completely different flavor payoff!