I tried making pickled cherry tomatoes in white vinegar this summer, but after two weeks in the jars, they were completely mushy. I followed the recipe to the letter though. Should I boil them longer beforehand, or do they need a more concentrated vinegar?
You gotta blanch them quickly before jarring, like 1-2 minutes max in boiling water, otherwise you're just gonna cook them twice and they'll turn mushy. The guys are right that texture is tricky, but short blanching is really what makes the difference - it sets the firmness without softening them.
I struggled with that too, and the cooking time doesn't really make much difference. The thing is cherry tomatoes are delicate and acidity alone doesn't really do enough to firm them up - you need to add a bit of calcium, like bay leaves or even better, just a tiny bit of calcium chloride (you can find it at health food stores or preservation shops). Otherwise make sure you pick them when they're not too ripe and that your white vinegar has at least 6% acidity, but honestly it's the calcium that's going to save your mushy tomatoes.
The problem often comes from the natural texture of cherry tomatoes - they have a lot of water and little firm flesh, so even with vinegar they soften. What can help is pricking them with a needle before putting them in the jar, that lets the acidity penetrate faster and helps seal them. Also, make sure your vinegar is at least 5-6% acidity, and the sterilization timing matters less than the quality of the jar seal - if it's not airtight, bacteria will break down the texture.
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