Rosemary Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes
Did Someone Say Antipasto?
It’s that time again in the Midwest, our 5th season, and no I am not talking about 3rd winter, it’s canning season!
Anyone with a garden has been canning off and on… for months now. This year, we had a warm fall and I had tomatoes trying to ripen on the vine at Halloween, however, that first week in November, we got a frost… and the plants were done.
I sent the kids out to pick the tomatoes, red and green… and the last of watermelon. I’ll be the only family serving watermelon at Thanksgiving. Anyway, I don’t let the green tomatoes go to waste and usually can them too. I decided to use the cherry tomatoes, both red and green, to make a recipe given to me by a “canning buddy” (and if you’re a canner, you know what I mean by canning buddy).
Green Tomatoes
Canning green tomatoes isn’t different than canning red, and though the flavor is unique, they really are good… and great way to NOT let those tomatoes go to waste.
Most people that can large green tomatoes, often slice them into rounds, and can as usual, but I usually use them as I would normal tomatoes. Obviously, not being ripe, green tomatoes are harder to peel, so when I have some to use in a recipe that calls for peeling, I usually boil them like I would regular tomatoes, peel what is easily removed, and leave the rest.
No worries about this recipe though, there is NO peeling!
Canning
If you have never canned before, do take a minute to read up on it. Canning is a safe technique used to preserve food. There are different methods of canning, water bath canning and pressure canning, and which one to use has a lot to do with what is being canned.
Canning is safe and canned food is good, however, some things need to take place during the canning process to ensure that the food is canned properly. While super rare, and I mean extremely rare, more rare than getting sick from lettuce at the supermarket… there are instances that people get ill after eating homemade, canned food. I don’t say this to alarm people, but I want to make sure anyone that hasn’t canned before, learns a bit about it… before jumping in. Making sure you do it right is important.
I read a report a few years ago, about a can of meat being found in someone’s home that was close to 100 years old. They had it analyzed and it apparently had over 90% of its nutrients intact and no bad bacteria. Canning is safe but just like with anything, it needs to be learned and done correctly!
Let’s Make Rosemary Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes
I decided to make Rosemary Pickled Cherry Tomatoes, with mostly green tomatoes, the recipe just said tomatoes, and some red and orange ones got in there too.
This is something you would put out with a meat and cheese tray or as Antipasto. Traditionally this means a first course in Italian but in America, it is kinda like something to add to the charcuterie board.
These tomatoes are tart but scrumptious… and different. These aren’t something everyone has had before or would bring to a party. They are also something you’ll either love or hate. I say if you like salt and vinegar chips, you’ll love these!
What You’ll Need
To can these, you will need…
- cherry tomatoes (though other small ones will work)
- salt
- vinegar
- garlic
- rosemary
- a water canner – check these out –> regular water bath canner or water bath canner for people who can a lot
- mason jars
- new lids
- rings
How To Make Them
- Sterilize your jars
- Wash your tomatoes
- Boil salt and vinegar
- Prepare your tomatoes
- Pack sterilized jars with garlic, rosemary, and tomatoes
- Pour in vinegar and salt mixture
- Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes
Notes:
- As I said, these are great as Antipasto. Below, on the printable recipe, I have included instructions on how to add these to an antipasto platter.
- You don’t have to use them in antipasto though, I sometimes just grab a fork and have a few.
- I am doing this to not waste tomatoes but you could do red ones, they don’t have to be green.
- I canned half pints but you could do pints or even quarts.
- You can omit the canning part and just make these. Make as written but instead of canning them, place in a larger jar or a few jars and refrigerate. Not being canned they won’t last “forever” but if you’ve ever done refrigerator pickles or beets, they will last like that.
- I have linked 2 different water bath canners, the first being a traditional Ball round water bath canner. This is what I first used and from what I can tell, is still made in America, though Ball is getting more vague about this. This canner can do 7 quarts, which is great if you are canning small but for anyone that does a lot of canning, I would recommend the second canner… the 15 quart Jar Stove Top Water Bath Canner. This canner is also made in America but can hold 15 quarts, and is capable of canning half gallons. It also can be used with a rack to double the amount of pint and half pint canning. This canner is a game changer for those that can!
Get to Canning!
Enjoy your green tomatoes and have fun canning! Pin this for later and don’t forget to comment about how they turned out share what you do with all of your green tomatoes!
If you make these Rosemary Pickled Green Cherry Tomatoes, I would love to hear about them! Comment below or head over to Instagram or Facebook, share your pics, and tag me @bemandfam… I’d love to see them!
BEM and Fam 🙂 
PS. This post has some affiliate links, read more about those here.
- 1 quart cherry tomatoes (green, red, or both) can be other small tomatoes, grape, pear, and so on
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups vinegar
- 4 cloves of garlic or equivalent minced
- 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- ½ pint jar of rosemary pickled cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ tsp minced fresh oregano
- ½ tsp minced fresh rosemary
- ½ tsp minced fresh thyme
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked pepper
- feta optional
-
sterilize jars
-
wash tomatoes, set aside
-
combine salt, vinegar in a saucepan and boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. While boiling, prick each tomato to stop the skins from cracking open
-
pack garlic, rosemary and tomatoes into sterilized jars and then ladle the vinegar mixture into jars
-
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes
-
drain the liquid from the can of tomatoes into a mixing bowl
-
combine liquid with olive oil, minced fresh oregano, rosemary and thyme and kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
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once mixed, add the drained tomatoes, stirring to coat and refrigerate overnight.
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when serving, place blocks of feta (if using) around or sprinkle crumbles on top.
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add to a platter (you can drain or add as bowl with liquid and add a slotted spoon) with other items, like cheese, meats, pickles, and so on
Canning Notes: This recipe makes about a quart, but will canned as more because of the liquid. You could can in half pints, pints, or quarts. If you want to make a lot and have a lot of tomatoes, this recipe can be doubled and tripled.