I can’t think of anything better than fresh, ripe tomatoes straight out of the garden!

Originally Published 07/09/2020

And these Pickled Cherry Tomatoes taste like Summertime!

Every year I have to plant at least one cherry tomato plant. They go in so many different dishes and they’re also perfectly bite-size for snatching right off the plant as you walk by! 

Unfortunately, summer always comes to an end, and then I’m back to buying them from the store. The store-bought ones lack the amazing flavor of homegrown, and I’m left waiting for next season’s garden!

However, canning is a great way to preserve some of that summertime goodness, and lucky for me, cherry tomato plants always seem to produce an abundance.

This recipe is an excellent way to use up your extra tomatoes and something tasty to open up in the cold winter months when you’re missing your garden. They’re great on a sandwich, a nice addition to a charcuterie plate, or just good to eat by themselves!

The other fantastic thing about this recipe is that it is small-batch with simple ingredients! If you’ve never done water bath canning before, this would be a great recipe to start with! Check out my Beginners Guide to Hot Water Bath Canning for help getting set up, as well as my resource page on all the Tools For Hot Water Bath Canning that you might need!

The recipe below comes from Ball Blue Book – Guide to Preserving. This cookbook is a wealth of information and has a ton of great canning recipes! I highly recommend it if you’re planning on doing more canning in the future!

Tools and Preparation:

To make this recipe, you will need a few tools of the trade first! A big canning pot to process your jars in is necessary! You can find a few different kinds on Amazon, but I prefer the Granite Ware Covered Preserving Canner. Also, a jar lifter to get the boiling jars out of the canner and a funnel will come in handy! And finally, pint jars! You can find these at most grocery stores. I prefer Ball, but other brands will work too.

Before you get started on the recipe, fill your canning pot with water and start heating it up! This huge amount of water takes forever to get boiling! You need to have sanitized, hot jars to fill when you get to that point of the recipe. (This recipe fills 4-pint jars) I place all my jars and metal bands in the dishwasher ahead of time and run them through a cycle. You can also boil them in the canner as it’s heating up, but some recipes call for more jars than will fit in your canning pot at one time. 

It is extremely important to strictly follow canning recipes. Tested recipes create shelf-stable home-canned food. If you do not use the proper ingredients, measurements, jar size, processing temperatures, and times, the outcome can’t be guaranteed. If you are brand new to the canning process, check out my Beginner’s Guide to Canning post to get started!

This recipe in particular calls for pickling salt. Regular salt cannot be substituted. Pickling salt, canning salt, or preserving salt, is pure granulated sodium chloride and doesn’t contain any anti-caking ingredients. If you use regular salt your liquid might be cloudy or turn your pickles a weird dark color. Anyway, just stick to the recipe and you’ll be golden!

Keeping the tradition alive:

Keeping the tradition of canning alive is more than just a hobby; it’s a powerful connection to our past and a sustainable practice for our future. In a world that’s increasingly reliant on industrial food production and convenience foods, canning stands out as a beacon of self-sufficiency and environmental responsibility. This age-old method of preserving food not only reduces waste by allowing us to store seasonal produce for year-round use, but it also diminishes our carbon footprint, minimizing the need for processed foods that come with heavy packaging and long transportation distances.

To keep the tradition alive:

I grew up watching my great-grandmother and grandmother can veggies. My great-grandmother lived through the Great Depression, and they did not waste ANYTHING. It seems crazy that we are only a couple of generations removed from the necessity of growing a great garden and knowing how to put up food. But it wasn’t that long ago.

Canning is a testament to the ingenuity of our ancestors, who developed methods to ensure their survival and comfort through the leaner months. By engaging in this practice, we honor their knowledge and resilience, keeping alive a tradition that might otherwise be lost to the convenience of modern living. It’s a hands-on way to maintain a link to our heritage, learning skills that were second nature to our forebears. I’m proud to continue its practice even when it seems like an outdated pastime nowadays.

Practicing Sustainability in our Modern Times:

Canning also promotes a more self-sustaining lifestyle, encouraging us to grow our produce or support local farmers and markets. This not only ensures that we have access to fresh, seasonal foods but also fosters a greater appreciation for the natural cycles of growth and harvest. It teaches patience, diligence, and the reward of enjoying a product that you’ve seen through from seed to jar.

When you’re canning something, you are in charge of the ingredients. You know exactly what goes into the jar! There’s peace of mind knowing you are eating fresh, healthy ingredients!

Finally,

the practice of canning can foster community and connection. Sharing recipes, techniques, and the fruits of one’s labor with friends, family, and neighbors strengthens bonds and creates a sense of belonging. It’s a tradition that encourages generosity and exchange, values that are increasingly precious in our fast-paced, digital world.

Ultimately, keeping the tradition of canning alive is a celebration of self-reliance, sustainability, and community. It’s a reminder of where we’ve come from and a tool for crafting a more mindful, connected, and environmentally conscious future. As we pass these skills on to new generations, we not only teach them how to preserve food but also to cherish the earth, its bounty, and the importance of looking after it and each other.

For all of these reasons and more, I will always put up a few jars of veggies every Fall. If you’d like to check out more canning recipes click here.

Print Recipe

Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

Savory pickled cherry tomatoes packed with tasty rosemary & garlic flavor!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 pint jars

Equipment

• Granite Ware Covered Preserving Canner
• Canning Tool Kit
• Pint Jars (lids & rings)
• Measuring Cups
• Medium saucepan
• Mixing utensil

Ingredients

• 2 Quarts Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 tsp Pickling Salt
• 1 Cup White wine vinegar
• 1 Cup White Vinegar
• 4 Cups Water
• 4 Garlic Cloves Peeled
• 4 Rosemary sprigs

Instructions

Preparation

• Run canning jars through a quick wash cycle to sanitize and heat them. Keep them in the hot dishwasher until you’re ready to fill them. Alternatively, if you don’t have a dishwasher, you can place the clean empty jars in canner to heat them up and keep them sanitized until ready to fill.

Fill canning pot with water, begin to boil. Make sure you have enough water to cover the jars by at least an inch when they’re submerged.

Step one

• Place cherry tomatoes in strainer, rinse and shake off excess water. Using a small wood or metal skewer, puncture a small hole at either the top or bottom of the tomato. This will keep the tomatoes from bursting during the hot water bath, although it won’t keep them from splitting entirely. Peel garlic cloves and set aside.

Step two

• Mix salt, white wine vinegar, white vinegar, and water in saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Step three

• While vinegar mixture is simmering, fill hot pint jars with tomatoes, leaving 1/2-inch of space at the top. Place your pealed garlic clove and sprig of rosemary on top of the tomatoes in the jar.

Step Four

• Ladle/Pour hot vinegar mixture into jars, again leaving 1/2-inch of space at the top. Tap jars gently on counter to remove air bubbles and then wipe the rims with a damp paper towel to remove any residue. Place lid and band on jar and tighten to just “fingertip-tight”.

Step 5

• Place jars on the canner rack sitting above the water. Make sure they are evenly spaced out. Lower rack into the  boiling water (water must cover jars by at least an inch). Place lid on pot and process jars on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove lid, turn off heat, and let sit in the hot water for another 5 minutes.

Step Six

• Take jars out of canning pot and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 12 hours. After 12 hours you can check the seals and tighten down the bands. Your delicious, pickled cherry tomatoes are now ready to be labeled and put in the pantry!

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