Pickled Carrots

Every week I get a box of vegetables from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). We don’t pick what will come in the box but usually it’s a good mix of staples (like onions, garlic, and citrus), seasonal items, and the occasional bag of walnuts or pistachios. I love the challenge of getting the box each week and trying to figure out what to make with it before the next box comes. But depending on the season there are some things you get week after week after week until you are at your wits end about what to make with them.



Right now, we are deep into carrot season. Carrots pose a bit of a challenge – they aren’t my favorite snack and my boyfriend, Jeffrey, doesn’t like to eat them cooked. I’ve spent weeks dipping them in hummus (link), shredding them into some form of raw carrot salad, or adding them to stir-fry. And when I get really sick of a vegetable, I find the quickest way to increase my appreciation for it is to pickle it.



Perhaps this instinct comes from my uncommonly robust love of vinegar. When possible, I douse my French fries in vinegar; I put spoons of it in curries and stews to brighten the flavor; I make salad dressing that is closer to 1:1 oil to vinegar than the traditional 2:1. I may or not be known to enjoy plain pickle juice on occasion. So when my latest batch of carrots was short enough to fit in a jar, I knew what I would be doing with them.

I do can pickled vegetables but this recipe is not meant to be processed and saved on the shelf – these are definitely refrigerator pickles. I like to save the effort of canning for things that won’t be around in later seasons and carrots seem to be ever-present. Additionally, when I do water-bath can things, I always use a tested recipe to ensure that the level of acid is high enough to stop any bad bacterial growth. This one I just made based on what vinegars and spices I had available that would pair well with carrots.



These pickles take a few days to ferment but when the waiting is through, they are delicious! I eat them plain out of the jar but they would be great shredded on a sandwich or chopped into a salad for some extra bite. Since the recipe isn’t meant to be canned, feel free to play around the flavorings and types of vinegar. I think next time I might include some dried chili peppers to heat things up or maybe use a small amount of balsamic vinegar to sweeten the end result. Any way you flavor it, they provide a delightful pick-me-up for your taste buds.



Pickled Carrots

Makes 1 pint jar

¾ pound carrots, cut to fit in your pint jar with one inch of headspace. Also make sure that they are cut to approximately equal widths so they blanch and pickle evenly.

1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup white distilled vinegar*

2 cloves garlic
1 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp fennel seed
½ tsp whole black peppercorns
1 tsp yellow mustard seed
2 tbs plus 1 ½ tbs kosher salt

* Distilled vinegar can be a bit sharp so if you like a milder pickle substitute an equal amount of apple cider or rice vinegar here.

Fill a pot with about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tbs of salt and reduce to a simmer. Blanch the carrots in two to three batches by placing them in the simmering water for about 30 seconds. Make sure that you don’t add so many carrots at a time that the temperature drops below a simmer.

Arrange the carrots in your pint jar. This may be a tight fit depending on how many you have – I find it easiest to place the jar on its side while filling it; it provides more space.

Empty the pot of water and place the vinegars, garlic, spices, and remaining 1 ½ tbs of kosher salt. Heat until it just boils, remove from heat and pour in the carrot-filled jar, leaving a ½ inch of headspace in the jar. You will probably have some leftover brine and garlic or spices in the pot. Using a spoon, transfer the remaining garlic and/or spices from the pot to the jar. Screw on the cap and let cool to room temperature then refrigerate. Keep them in the fridge for at least three days before eating to let them fully pickle – the longer you let them sit in the brine, the more pickle-y the carrot.