Making Gradma’s Ba-Tampte Over-Fermented Pickled Tomatoes

October 8th, 2007 in Uncategorized

Growing up we would visit my grandparents on Long Island in NY fairly frequently. My grandmother, like all I suppose, would have tons of goodies ready to be devoured as soon as I walked in the door. Everything from Entenmann’s donuts and coffee cake to Sno-Caps candy.

One of the items that I remember loving in my teens were the jars of Ba-Tampte picked tomatoes that had the most amazingly tart and spicy flavor and left my mouth watering until the next visit to her house.

For whatever reason, I have been thinking almost non-stop about these tomatoes for over a year. I really did nothing to quell the rumblings and mouth watering until I stumbled across jars available at the Burnsville Byerly’s. I took one home and tasted half of one of the tomatoes. For some reason it just didn’t have the right flavor that I remember from all those years ago.

I called my parents and my mother told me that my grandmother would leave them opened and unrefrigerated on the counter until they would ferment enough to be as tasty as they always were.

I was directed to open the lid but leave it covering the open mouth of the jar. My father suggested that I put the jar in a Tupperware container so that when the reaction really gets going that it doesn’t foam over and cover the counter is garlicy stinking juice. When I asked how long this should take my father replied around 7 to 10 days. Wow, this is too long of a process — especially with it smelling as good as it already does :(

Now, in addition to this, I added quite a bit more fresh ground black pepper and some more garlic to the mixture. I figured that would add some nice flavor to the tomatoes. Yum.

I really find it odd that the jar so clearly states to “Keep Refrigerated” yet I have been directed to do the complete opposite. How many others out there know that the weak and pretty piss poor tasting pickled tomatoes would taste *SO* much better if they would just ignore the jar’s direction and instead would follow my grandmother’s lead?

I’ll keep you all updated on the progress and let you know how they turn out. I really can’t wait. I should probably get another jar in the mean time and start that one going too. Just so I have enough to tide me over until this year long craving subsides :)

See all the pictures from today here (mobile).