You can combat food insecurity by donating canned goods to your local food banks and, to keep your own hunger at bay, why not start home canning and try it out with this beginner tutorial on how to pickle carrots?
To help you on your home canning journey, I have asked canning expert Jenny Gomes from A Domestic Wildflower to share a beginner recipe to get the juices (or rather vinegar) flowing.
She was kind enough to share a tutorial on how to pickle carrots below.
Why Carrot Pickles?
“Why carrot pickles?” you ask. Jenny feels that “carrot pickles are just as easy to serve on an hors d’oeuvre tray as they are to pack in a lunchbox. You can mix it up with the seasoning options depending on your kitchen’s clientele, and feel confident that you’ll do it right. These are easy to keep crisp, & are a healthful snack!”
I know you’ll enjoy Jenny’s tutorial below.
A Canning Recipe From A Domestic Wildflower
Pickles are great for beginners because of all the vinegar. Vinegar is very acidic, which makes it impossible for spoilers to grow. Coupled with a boiling water swim, those jars are spoiler-free by the time you are done with them!
Pickled Carrots Ingredients
2 pounds good quality carrots, scrubbed.
5 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 small white onion sliced thinly or diced
1 cup of water
Optional seasoning:1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 bay leaf per jar, 1 sprig thyme or dill per jar, shake of red pepper flakes to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon per jar- choose any or all of the above to suit your taste!
How To Pickle Carrots
Cut carrots into sticks that are about 1/2 inch thick and no more than 4 inches tall if you are using pint (that’s 2 measuring cups!) jars. Let the carrots rest in a bowl of ice water while you prepare your pots.
Heat the processing pot full of 4-5 pint jars and water to a boil. Bring the saucepan of lids and rings to a simmer.
In the preserving pan combine the vinegar, 1 cup of water, salt, sugar, and any seasonings. Bring to a simmer and then add the carrots until they are just tender, about 9 minutes. You want to err on the firm side of for this pickle. Carrots stay crisp easier than other items, such as cucumbers, but be mindful of overcooking.
Use the jar lifter to carefully remove a hot jar (full of boiling water) from the boiling water bath. Pour the hot water back into the pot, into the saucepan, or into the sink.
Using the funnel, pack the hot carrots into the jars (not tight, just full), and then ladle the hot brine carefully over the carrots, giving it a chance to sink to the bottom.
You may have to distribute pieces of onion and garlic and seasonings jar by jar using a clean, long-handled spoon. Take care to not get brine on the top edge of the jar; use the funnel the whole time. If you do drip, use a clean cloth to wipe it clean.
After one jar is filled with carrots and covered with brine, put the brand new lid and band on and carefully return it to the boiling water bath.
Repeat with jars that remain.
When all the jars are filled with carrots and brine, bring the pot back up to boil and process for 15 minutes. Add 5 minutes for every 1000 feet you live above sea level. For example, I live at 3000 feet elevation, so I process my carrots for a full 30 minutes.
When the time is up, remove the jars carefully to rest and seal on the towel-covered countertop. Label the cooled jars and store in a pantry. Light will fade those pretty orange carrots, but won’t make them unsafe.
If you want to learn more about canning from an expert, in their kitchen, I have a canning course for busy beginners at www.startcanning.com and I’d love to see you there!
Share The Goods : What is your favorite pickled vegetable?
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