How to Make Mason Jar Herb & Garlic Olive Oil Tomatoes: Recipe & Guidelines

One of the best ways to use cherry tomatoes grown in your garden, is to make herb and garlic olive oil tomatoes. They have a long refrigerated shelf life. I have kept some of them refrigerated for 12 months. They are best enjoyed by taking them out when needed, and letting them come to room temperature for several hours. I leave mine out overnight. Olive oil will thicken when refrigerated and return to its natural state as it warms.

Herb & Garlic Olive Oil Tomato Ingredients

Ingredients and Such:

Mason Jars 

Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Herbs of Your Choice (I used Oregano & Basil)

Fresh Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Mason jars come in different shapes and sizes and should be washed and prepped before using. We are not canning, but using the olive oil and refrigerator to store them for many months. You will need as  many jars, as you have cherry tomatoes. The oil preserves them and this is not a fermentation.

I cut fresh oregano and basil from my garden for this batch of cherry tomatoes but you can certainly add other herbs you enjoy. The herbs go in fresh, at the end, when filling the jars. Garlic and olive oil is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Use more or less garlic to your liking. You could omit it and go heavy on the herbs if it is something you don't enjoy.

I like to use one large clove per pint container and a bit less for smaller containers. Garlic is prepared by chopping or pressing the cloves and warming it in one cup of olive oil on the stove. Heat the oil and garlic, on low, for about 15 minutes. You do not want to brown and cook the garlic. You are releasing the garlic flavor and using it when the cherry tomatoes are jarred.

One Clove of Garlic Per Mason Jar

General Prep Steps:

Mince or press the garlic

Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the minced garlic and let it sit for 10 minutes to draw out liquid

Add the minced salted garlic to 1 cup of olive oil and warm on low for 15 minutes

Half the cherry tomatoes

Minced and Warmed in 1 Cup of Olive Oil

Additional salt is added to the mason jars, when filling, but salting takes some practice to match your taste preferences. Remember you can always add more salt when opening and using them, but you can't really remove it. I add 1 or 2 teaspoons to each jar based on size. Use more or less salt, as you wish.

Cherry Tomatoes Prepped for Jarring

The deliciousness success of this recipe is allowing the salt, herbs, garlic, and olive oil to enter the tomatoes and fill them with flavor. The tomatoes should be halved or have a hole poked in them. I like having different shapes and colors in the jar. 

The next step is pretty straight forward. Put in the herb bunches and hold them in place to the side of the jar and fill loosely with tomatoes to just below the top. Do not press them in tightly. Gently shake the jar so the tomatoes settle and there is enough space left on top for adding the warmed garlic and extra salt. 

Top With Olive Oil

Once filled, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of the minced warmed garlic. I like to also add a couple additional tablespoons of just the warm olive oil to each jar. I love garlic. I also slice some garlic cloves, thinly, and put them on top. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt to the to top of the jar, and pepper to your liking. Fill the jar slowly with additional olive oil from the bottle, not the warmed olive oil. The olive oil should fully cover the ingredients and sit just below the top of the jar. Lid and let sit. 

Jarred Herb & Garlic Olive Oil Tomatoes

I leave the herb and garlic cherry tomatoes on the counter for 1 or 2 days and turn and shake them when I walk by them. This period of time, allows the ingredients to mix and the olive oil to move into the tomatoes. After a day or so, open the lid and top the jars off with additional olive oil and refrigerate. Olive oil will thicken when refrigerated so don't be alarmed. I like to wait 2 weeks before eating them to allow time for the flavors to mix.  If you need more information here is my quick video.

"Enjoy Your Garden and Enjoying Sharing"

Cheers!

Gary (The Rusted Garden)

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel The Rusted Garden Homestead

Over 650,000 Subscribers and Over 2000 Garden Videos Designed to Quickly Present Information!

Visit The Rusted Garden Seed and Garden Shop
for your Seeds, Starting Supplies, Fabric Pots, Neem Oil,
Peppermint and Other Oils, Calcium Nitrate and More.
The Rusted Garden Seed and Garden Shop