Have extra tomatoes? Ferment them!

As the tomato bounty comes rolling in, the question arises, "what am I going to do with all of these?"  You can't just let them rot on the counter, all that fruitfulness going to waste before your very eyes!  But, a lot of days, we don't have the time or maybe even resources to preserve our lovely tomatoes through the most common method of canning.  Did you know you can ferment your whole tomatoes?  It's quick, easy and affordable!  Not only that, but where canning kills enzymes and nutrients through its heating process, fermenting increases the  nutritional value, becoming full of beneficial bacteria that can help heal your body and give you energy.  How exciting!  Once your tomatoes are fermented, they store well in a cool place for up to 6 months and are ready to pull out,  puree and use as pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce or anything else you would like!  We hope you give it a try!  Drop us a comment if you do!

Fermented Tomatoes - Per Quart

• 3 T  Pink Himalayan Sea Salt, Realsalt, or salt of your choice (DO NOT use white table salt, as it will kill the good bacteria in your ferments... the very thing that is preserving your tomatoes.
• 1 garlic clove (optional)
  
• Whole tomatoes - as many as you believe you can squish into the jar, still leaving 1 inch of head space.
• 3-4 basil leaves/ fresh herbs of your choice (optional)
• Water (filtered or distilled)
  

Directions:
-First, clean your jar with hot soapy water before using.
-Put salt in jar, add garlic clove and fill about half full with water. 
-Stir well to dissolve salt, then add whole tomatoes and fresh herbs if using, one at a time, pushing, or "squishing" as many as you can into the jar - Medium size tomatoes work best for this. 
-Top off with water, if needed, leaving 1 inch of head space at top of jar.  Add a weight, if needed, to keep everything under the liquid and then cap off, screwing the lid loosely to allow gas to escape.  Set on counter or shelf and leave for 3 weeks to ferment, then put in refrigerator or cool area to store.