Black Cherry Heirloom Tomato

We love cherry tomatoes here.  It just wouldn’t be summer, or tomato season as we like to call it, without enjoying the experience of strolling through the raised bed garden and plucking a warm cherry tomato directly from the vine before popping it into your mouth.  Every year, we plant several varieties of heirloom cherry tomatoes and every year we declare the Black Cherry to be our favorite.

We plant dozens of Black Cherry Heirloom Tomato plants in the 1840 Farm gardens each year.  At the height of the harvest, we pick pounds of these beautiful little orbs every day.  We eat an abundance of them fresh and oven roast others for fresh pasta dishes.  We also put them up for the long New England winter that lies ahead.

We have found that these cherry tomatoes are ideally suited for long-term storage in the freezer.  It’s such a simple way to preserve their bright flavor and beautiful color. As a bonus, I don’t need to spend a hot summer day standing over a bubbling canning pot. I apply a similar strategy to preserving the fresh basil in our garden. 

Thanks to this simple method of preservation, we enjoy fresh, rich tomato sauce with the intense flavor of garden fresh tomatoes all winter long.  With each delicious bite, we are reminded that the next tomato season is one day closer.  During our long New England winter, that reminder is very welcome.