Pickled Carrots

I've been pickling my own jalapenos for a long time now. I do them in the traditional style with carrots and onions, but the carrots always get eaten within the first few days. To remedy this, I decided to start pickling carrots in big batches too!

Pickled carrots are a lovely condiment and side dish for so many foods - we eat them all the time! Plus, they work well with loads of flavors, so you could even do a jar of sweet carrot pickles and a jar of savory ones. :D

ingredients:

• 6-12 carrots - it'll all depend on the size! Mine were teeny so I used 12.
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/4 cups vinegar (white and apple cider work well!)
• 1-2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon of sugar
• whatever spices and herbs you like! I used probably a teaspoon of extra herbs/spices all together.
• additional veggies - you can sneak in some garlic, onion or peppers here, too.

The great part about this recipe is you can flavor the carrots however you like! Make sure to add a little more sugar for sweet combinations like cinnamon or fennel. Cumin is great with carrots, too. Today I'm just using some peppercorns, a bayleaf and some oregano to keep them tasting like my pickled jalapeños.

These pickled carrots stay nice and crisp - if you'd like them to be softer, you should put the carrots and the pickling liquid in a small saucepan and cook them for a few minutes and then pack them into the jar.

tools:

• 32 oz/1 liter canning jar
• glass measuring cup

Wash the jar, lid and all extras in VERY hot water. You want this as clean as possible since you'll be storing food long term in it.

Once it's washed, set it aside on a clean towel or rack to dry.

Peel and slice your carrots on the diagonal - 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Thinner is better if you want the carrots to be soft!

Slice up anything else you're putting in, too. I'm also adding four serrano peppers because Tyler kept saying "Make it spicy! Make it spicier!!"

I normally do this as I cut them up, just to make sure I've got the perfect amount. :)

Try to fill the jar to right below the bottom of the rim.

Combine the vinegar, water, salt, sugar and herbs and spices (and garlic if you want it!) into a large microwave safe measuring cup.

Heat in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until the mix is about 190-200 F.

Pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots.

Let the jar sit open on the counter until it cools down enough to comfortably handle (or reaches room temp) and then close it and pop it in the fridge. The carrots will soften slightly during this time, so let it hang out for a while!

The pickles can be eaten as soon as the liquid cools, but I find they taste best after a couple days in the pickling liquid!

These pickles will stay good for around a month if stored in the fridge, though ours rarely last that long. :D

Enjoy! I'd love to hear about what flavor combinations you guys use.