Vine ripened cherry tomatoes burst with a tangy flavor. Most of these bit size, ready-to-eat fruits will be snacked on raw, so a recipe is not likely needed. But if you do find yourself with an abundance of ripe cherry tomatoes roasting them from Italian dishes or chopping them for a fresh salsa are two great options.
Estimated Picking Dates: mid August to September
*Deluxe share item only
Cleaning/Preparing: Wash cherry tomatoes before use, but not before storage unless fruits are very dirty and wet! Simply rinse in running cold water or swish in a bath of cold water. Rub through hand to remove any mud. Let drip dry in colander or towel. Most of your cherry tomatoes should be clean enough to eat raw without washing them.
If you want to make sure your vegetables are sanitized use the following procedure: Veggie Wash
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 cup cold tap water in a spray bottle
Mix, shake well, and spritz on the vegetables. Rinse vegetables. Works best if cleanser remains on vegetables for 2 minutes before rinsing. Proceed with standard drying.
Storage: Do not stack high in a container as the weight of top tomatoes may crush bottom ones. Store in shallow dish, container, or brown paper bag in the sunlight if fruits seem very unripe or out of direct sunlight if fruits seem ripe. If fruits seem very ripe, refrigerate, but do not refrigerate for more than a few days for more than a few days because fruits will suffer "chilling injury" which causes the fruits to become mealy. Tomatoes are high ethylene producers so keep away from produce for which you want to slow the rotting/ripening process such as the zucchini you also have stored on your kitchen counter.
Preparing: I remove stems as I wash the fruits. Chop to desired size of pieces for recipe on a cutting board or in a bowl with a kitchen shears. These fruits are often left whole in recipes to showcase their beauty.
Featured Recipe: Caprese Skewers
Other common uses: Fresh eating on veggie platter, roasted, fresh salsa, or tomato gratin
Substitutes: diced regular sized tomatoes are not as sweet. Grape tomatoes are slightly sweeter than cherry tomatoes. If you are making a cold salad and do not have tomatoes, increase amount of cucumber or zucchini.
*Deluxe share item only
Cleaning/Preparing: Wash cherry tomatoes before use, but not before storage unless fruits are very dirty and wet! Simply rinse in running cold water or swish in a bath of cold water. Rub through hand to remove any mud. Let drip dry in colander or towel. Most of your cherry tomatoes should be clean enough to eat raw without washing them.
If you want to make sure your vegetables are sanitized use the following procedure: Veggie Wash
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 cup cold tap water in a spray bottle
Mix, shake well, and spritz on the vegetables. Rinse vegetables. Works best if cleanser remains on vegetables for 2 minutes before rinsing. Proceed with standard drying.
Storage: Do not stack high in a container as the weight of top tomatoes may crush bottom ones. Store in shallow dish, container, or brown paper bag in the sunlight if fruits seem very unripe or out of direct sunlight if fruits seem ripe. If fruits seem very ripe, refrigerate, but do not refrigerate for more than a few days for more than a few days because fruits will suffer "chilling injury" which causes the fruits to become mealy. Tomatoes are high ethylene producers so keep away from produce for which you want to slow the rotting/ripening process such as the zucchini you also have stored on your kitchen counter.
Preparing: I remove stems as I wash the fruits. Chop to desired size of pieces for recipe on a cutting board or in a bowl with a kitchen shears. These fruits are often left whole in recipes to showcase their beauty.
Featured Recipe: Caprese Skewers
Other common uses: Fresh eating on veggie platter, roasted, fresh salsa, or tomato gratin
Substitutes: diced regular sized tomatoes are not as sweet. Grape tomatoes are slightly sweeter than cherry tomatoes. If you are making a cold salad and do not have tomatoes, increase amount of cucumber or zucchini.