Fermented Cherry Tomatoes shine in the brine. Preserve your tomato harvest with this easy to make tasty and healthy recipe.

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It’s the end of tomato season and I have a cherry tomato plant loaded with little tasty bits that need to be picked or they’ll rot after the impending freeze. What better way to use them than fermentation? The perfect solution to your cherry tomato glut. They don’t have a long shelf life, they are usually too small and juicy to yield much sauce for canning, and they are too tedious to chop for making salsa. But they shine in the brine!
Jump to the Fermented Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
Let’s make Fermented Cherry Tomatoes

I love to eat cherry tomatoes when I’m working in the garden and I usually grow two or three plants for snacking. They are a great treat, and they yield so abundantly. However, they don’t store well, as they often crack as soon as you pick them. Then their flavor declines. Just eating them as a snack in the garden doesn’t keep up with the abundance and there is no point of using them in sauce, since all they add is juice, seeds, and skins. And yes, they are great in salads too or in lunch boxes, but what to do if you have bowls full of extra cherry tomatoes?
Why, you ferment them! (Ha! my standard answer for what to do with almost any garden surplus, lol 😀)
Equipment:
Quart mason jar or Fido jar – Use what you have, but I highly recommend the Bormioli Fido jars. They automatically vent the gasses and keep oxygen out. And I think they look so cool! I use mostly mason jars for fermenting, since I have so many of them already for canning, and I ferment A LOT! If you have a huge amount of cherry tomatoes to ferment, you could also use a 5 gallon food grade plastic bucket or a fermentation crock.
Fermentation weight – My recommendation here is to use a glass fermentation weight. It’s the easiest to use and it’s easy to clean. For a large batch in a bucket, you could use a plate and weigh it down with a rock or a jug of water. You can also get ceramic weights in various sizes. In a pinch, use a small jelly mason jar, a boiled and scrubbed rock, a baggie filled with brine, or anything else that fits, as long as it’s food-grade and non-reactive.

Fermentation lid or airlock – While you can ferment with a cloth cover, you’ll have a better chance to keep any funky bacteria or yeasts from getting into your fermentation with a solid lid and seal. My favorite here is one of the easy to use, screw-on Fermentation tops for mason jars. I don’t like pickle pipes out of silicone very much, but they are a popular option. Airlocks are great to use as well.
In a pinch, use a 2-piece canning jar lid. The downside is that they can rust when in contact with the salty and acidic brine and sometimes they’ll get stuck on the jar if you leave it on too long. Be sure to burp any sealed lids once a day to let the gasses escape, just quickly loosen and tighten the lid without taking it off.
The Fido jar has a lid already that’s perfect for fermenting. It is self-venting and keeps oxygen out.
Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes – Use 3 cups of cherry tomatoes for a quart size jar. If you have a lot of cherry tomatoes, find enough containers to fit them in. My recipe here is for one quart, but you can easily adjust it up or down.
Salt – I use Redmond’s Real Salt, Himalayan pink salt , or Celtic sea salt. These contain essential trace minerals that my body needs and rather than using just plain sodium chloride, these mineral salts add important nutrients to my diet. You can use any salt that has no additives. Check the label and don’t use common table salt! Iodine and anti-caking agents can inhibit fermentation, impart off-flavors, and undesirable coloration to your ferments.
Filtered water – It is best to use filtered water, especially if you have hard well water or use spring or rain water that might come with some undesirable bacteria. Tap water should not be used because of the chlorine content which can also harm the desirable bacteria in your fermentation. However, if that is what you have, boil it in an open pot and let it cool, so the chlorine can evaporate. Or let it sit out on the counter without a lid for 24 hours, then it should be fine to use.
Steps to making fermented Tomatoes:

01. Fill your jar with tomatoes. For a quart jar, you’ll use about 3 cups of tomatoes, to end up below 1 ½ inches of the rim. For any other size, just fill the container up to 2 inches below the rim. I used a gallon size here, because I had a lot of extra tomatoes.

04. Top with a fermentation weight. Place the fermentation weight of your choice on top of the cherry tomatoes.
02. Make a brine by mixing a pint of water with 1 tablespoon of salt. I put the salt into a quart jar and add the 2 cups of water. Then I put a lid on it and shake it for a little bit till most of the salt is dissolved.

03. Pour the brine over the tomatoes. Be sure to cover all the tomatoes with brine. They’ll want to float, and that’s why we need to have a weight on top. But they should all end up under the brine when you’re done.

05. Seal the jar. Seal your jar with a lid of your choice. If you use a mason jar with a fermentation lid, there is a handy little date marker on it that you can set. Then you can just check on it 3 weeks from that date. Otherwise, you can mark the date on the glass or what ever lid you use, with a permanent marker. It will wipe off later with rubbing alcohol. You can also use masking tape, but I have had problems getting that off in the past without leaving goop behind, which is hard to remove.
06. Place the jar in a darkish spot to ferment. Pick a darkish corner in your kitchen, where it’s out of the way for the next 3 weeks, but where you’ll be reminded to keep an eye on it. It should be out of direct sunlight for sure. Place a bowl under it in case you have overflow when fermentation kicks in.
The best temperature for fermenting is between 72 and 80℉. A little less or more is ok, but definitely keep it above 65, or your fermentation might not kick in and it might turn funky. Too hot and you might end up with mush due to over-fermentation.
07. Observe for 1-3 weeks. If you use cloth to cover the jar, be sure to keep an eye on the top of the ferment. You might have kahm yeast forming, which will need to be skimmed off regularly. It’s harmless, but it is unsightly and it can give your ferment a bit of an off-flavor if it’s left on too long.
If you’re using a sealing lid, burp it once a day to let the pressure escape from inside, but don’t take the lid off if you don’t have to. Just quickly untwist and reseal.
If you’re using a fermentation lid or a Fido jar, you should not have any babysitting to do for this time.
08. Smell and taste your tomatoes. After five to seven days it’s time to check on the tomatoes. You’ll get more benefits from them if you let them ferment for about three weeks, but if you want to give them a taste now, go ahead. Before you decide to put them into cold storage, you’ll want to make sure that they have a distinctly acidic taste and that the brine is bubbly. The tomatoes will probably be a bit fizzy too, like champagney, if that’s a word. If they still just taste salty, let them go a while longer. Once they reach a strong tangy flavor and have that distinct fermentation aroma (you’ll know what I mean when you smell it), you can place it into cold storage. If it’s really warm in your house they might be good to eat sooner than a week, but in any case, if you want to increase the lactic acid and probiotic benefits, let them ferment for about 3 weeks.

09. Place into cold storage. Cold storage can be your root cellar, a cool spot in your home, or the refrigerator. This will slow the activity way down and the cooler it is, the longer it will keep. The bacteria will stay alive and will still be active, but barely. However, even in the fridge it will keep getting more tangy over the years. I’ve kept mine in a root cellar at between 37 and 60 degrees, fluctuating throughout the seasons, for a couple of years with no ill-effect. Do try to keep it at or under about 55 degrees for long term storage.
In summary
As you can see, this is a super simple, quick and easy way to preserve your over-abundance of tomatoes so you can have some for tomato down-time. It’s so nice to have some fresh food when it’s gloomy and frosty outside. Your immune system will stay alert when you give it a bit of fermented food each day and your gut will thank you for it when you’re feasting on pot roasts and heavy comfort foods.
Leave us a note in the comments on your favorite way to use fermented cherry tomatoes! And if you have any questions about fermenting, leave them in the comments and I’ll be glad to answer them.
Do sign up for my Food For Life Garden Newsletter, so you don’t miss any great new fermentation recipes and to get all my homestead tips fresh off the press.
Common Questions answered:
How long should I ferment my cherry tomatoes?
3 weeks is a good time to ferment your cherry tomatoes at 72-80℉. But you might like them best sooner. Start tasting after about a week and if they taste nice and tangy, and you love them, they can go into cold storage. However if you ferment them longer at room temperature, it will increase the probiotics in your fermentation.
How do I know they are good to eat?
If they smell, taste and feel good, they are good to eat. You’ll know when your fermentation has turned bad: The tomatoes will turn to mush or slime, it will have a funky smell, and you won’t even want to taste them at this point. If there is a layer of hairy mold growing on top, toss it. Mold can make the ferment taste bad, even if the stuff under the mold isn’t bad. If you just see a bit of mold hitching a ride on a floater, just skim it off. The rest will be ok. Kahm yeast is harmless and looks like a thin wrinkled whitish-grey layer, that is easily skimmed off. Just don’t leave it on too long or it can give your fermentation an off flavor.
How long will the fermented cherry tomatoes store?
Most fermentations will keep easily for a year in the refrigerator or root cellar. Try to keep the temperature under 55 degrees. They can often be good beyond 2 years. I recently opened some kraut that has been in the root cellar for over two and a half years and it is quite tart, but still crunchy and delicious.
Other fermenting recipes you might like:
Fermented Salsa – Delicious zesty salsa. Preserve fresh produce at the height of the season to enjoy during the garden down times. It’ll bring back memories of summer and tastes of fresh vegetables, while brimming with all the stored vitamins, nutrients and probiotics!
Fermented Garlic – Lacto-fermented garlic paste is kind of a special food. It’s the ultimate convenience food and health supplement. But besides that, it gets better as it ages. Just like a fine wine.
Fermented Onions – Keep some onions ready to use on Sandwiches or to put on your salads. Zesty or plain, onions are great fermented and a great storage option for your non-storage types.
Fermented Cucumber Pickles – How to ferment your excess of cucumbers to enjoy all year long and with the added benefit of improving your gut health.
Fermented Vegetables – How to ferment your summer’s bounty to enjoy it all year long. They are full of probiotics and are great for your gut health. Learn the basic skill of fermenting any kinds of vegetables and get the science behind it too.
Fermented Basil Paste – Keep a jar of this in your refrigerator all year, to season your italian dishes. Preserve not only the herb, but also its vitamins and minerals, the aroma and pungent basil flavor. It’s one of my favorite ways to preserve basil
Fermented Cherry Tomatoes Printable Recipe

Fermented Cherry Tomatoes
Equipment
- 1 Quart size mason jar or Fido jar
- 1 Fermentation weight
- 1 Fermentation lid or airlock
Ingredients
- 3 cups Cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Salt
- 2 cups Filtered water
Instructions
- Fill your jar with tomatoes. For a quart jar, you'll use about 3 cups of tomatoes, to end up 1 ½ inches below the rim. For any other size, just fill the container to 2 inches below the rim.
- Top with a fermentation weight.
- Make a brine by mixing a pint of water with 1 tablespoon of salt and shake or stir till it's dissolved.
- Pour the brine over the tomatoes. Be sure to cover all the tomatoes with brine. They'll want to float, and that's why we need to put a weight on top. But they all need top end up under the brine surface when you're done.
- Seal your jar with a lid of your choice. If you use a fermentation lid, there is a handy little date marker on it that you can set. Mark any others with today's date.
- Place in a darkish spot to ferment. Pick a darkish corner in your kitchen, where it's out of the way for the next 1-3 weeks, but where you'll be reminded to keep an eye on it. It should be out of direct sunlight for sure. The best temperature for fermenting is between 72 and 80℉. A little less or more is ok, but definitely keep it above 65, or your fermentation might not kick in. Too hot and you might end up with mush due to over-fermentation.
- Observe for 1-3 weeks. If you use cloth to cover your jar, be sure to keep an eye on the top of the ferment. You might have kahm yeast forming, which will need to be skimmed off regularly. It's harmless, but it is unsightly and it can give your ferment a bit of an off-flavor if it's left on too long.If you're using a sealing lid, burp it once a day to let the pressure escape from inside, but don't take the lid off if you don't have to. Just quickly untwist and reseal.You don't need to babysit it, if you're using a fermentation lid or a Fido jar.
- Smell and taste your tomatoes after one week. Before you decide to put them into cold storage, you'll want to make sure that they have a distinctly acidic taste. They'll probably be a bit fizzy too, like champagney, if that's a word. If not, let them go a while longer. Once they reach a strong tangy flavor and have that distinct fermentation aroma (you'll know what I mean when you smell it), you can place it into cold storage. In any case, to increase the lactic acid and probiotic benefits, let them ferment for about 3 weeks.
- Place into cold storage. Cold storage can be your root cellar, a cool spot in your home, or the refrigerator. This will slow the activity way down and the cooler it is, the longer it will keep. It should keep for a year with no problem, or even longer. Do try to keep it under about 55 degrees for long term storage.
Notes
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Fermentation tops
Airlocks
Redmond’s Real Salt
Himalayan pink salt
Celtic sea salt
Bormioli Fido Jar
Glass weights
Ceramic weights
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