quick pickled tomatoes. { tasty tuesday }

I cannot adequately express to you how many tomatoes we had from our garden this year nor the emotions those tomatoes brought forth. When I noticed there were too many tomato plants growing what did I do? I allowed them all to grow. When I noticed that I'd have 1,000,000,005 tomatoes this year what did I do? I picked every single one. I hate wasting when I grow. So that has left me in somewhat of a panic trying to figure out what to do with all of the tomatoes.

I experienced some wonderful picked vegetables at my CSA's Chef-in-the-Box demonstration. I immediately thought it'd be a good way to use some of my tomatoes but immediately forgot the quick pickle process right after I asked. Oops.

After some searching online I found a few ideas and modified a few things. I had to remove the sugar and increase amounts as I'm dealing with large volumes of tomatoes here. Seriously.

So here it is... a super simple and quick pickle recipe for tiny tomatoes. It's easy, yummy, versatiles, and has a bit of a kick!

You'll need:
1 1/2 c raw apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c water
8 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp lemon juice
24 oz small tomatoes (cherry, pear, or grape)
1/4 c fresh chopped dill
4 medium thinly sliced garlic cloves
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Wash the tomatoes and remove the stems.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Combine apple cider vinegar, water, kosher salt, maple syrup, and lemon juice and heat until salt is dissolved. Set aside and let cool for 25 minutes.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Cut the tomatoes in half and put in a large bowl.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Add the dill, garlic, red pepper flakes and mix.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Put the mixture into whatever container you plan to use. This recipe fits perfectly into three mason jars.[/caption]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Cover the tomatoes with the cider vinegar mixture and let sit open for a few hours.[/caption]

Refrigerate for up to three weeks and use however you wish!

Some suggestions for use:
As a side
On top of a salad
On chips or crackers, along with sour cream (would be a great hors d'oeuvre or snack for guests)
Give as a hostess gift