Making The Most of Garden Goodness (Marinated Cherry Tomatoes)

Every year we grow tomatoes, but I especially love cherry tomatoes. They are a low commitment tomato for people who may not be as eager to eat garden tomatoes as I am. They are also super versatile and great to throw in summer pasta or on a salad. They are also little kid friendly and, let’s face it, there’s a little bit of “little kid” in all of us.

I had a basket of vine ripened cherry tomatoes on the counter for nearly a week. The first day I went out to harvest and came in with a handful. By the third day that week I had added three or four here and there until the basket was looking back at me, “well are you going to do something with these or not?”

Not someone who would ever let herself be bullied by a basket, I decided I had to figure it out and fast. My favorite homesteading friend just shrugged and said “why don’t you just eat them?” I wanted to do something with them, I argued. I asked my mother in law who lives next door (don’t ask) and she said “You could always bring them over here.” Last time I did that, they rotted in the back of their fridge. While it was still too hot to turn the stove on to make pasta, I thought maybe I could at least prep the cherry tomatoes to be added to the pasta once it was cool enough to make dinner. I rinsed and dried the tomatoes, carefully cut them in half (I love to use a serrated steak knife or bread knife) and put them in the jar. Then I added our Herb Salt, fresh herbs, fresh garlic and olive oil. I put it in the fridge and let it be.

Fast forward a few hours. I walked in the house after a long day of work and errands, just in time to make dinner. A friend had come over and had brought fresh bread that she had proudly made and some fresh cheese. And there to my surprise my entire family and proud friend were eating homemade bread with a shmeer of fresh cheese and my cherry tomatoes. “These marinated cherry tomatoes are fantastic!” they told me. Even my teenager agreed.

Makes 1 pint

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon Straw Hat Farm Herb Salt

3-4 cloves fresh garlic

1 Tablespoon fresh herbs (see note)

¼ cup of olive oil (more, if needed)

Carefully wash and dry your cherry tomatoes. Slice in half and place in a bowl. Smash and mince garlic. Sliver herbs and add to bowl with garlic. Add olive oil and gently stir to combine.

Rinse a pint jar in hot water and wipe clean to dry. Carefully fill warm jar with tomatoes. The warmth will help the tomatoes absorb the flavors and release their juices with the help of the herb salt to marinate them. This is where the magic happens. Cover tightly and leave on the counter or put in the fridge. If you are intending to use this in some way for dinner, you may want to put a note on it at this point. Just sayin’. These won’t last long once they are discovered. I would eat them within a week or so.

Note: Use the fresh herbs of your choice. Maybe you don’t have quite enough basil to make pesto, or the thyme is just starting to sprout back after giving it a good haircut. This is where you can successfully use a bit of this and that. Use basil, lemon basil, chives, thyme, oregano, tarragon, even a touch of rosemary.