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Pickled Carrots with a Kick

Pickled carrots can be enjoyed stuffed into sandwiches, served as a side to a rich meal or eaten as a snack by themselves.

Ingredients:

3 pint jar with self-sealing lids and rings, sterilized
2 pounds carrots, scrubbed and trimmed in matchsticks to fit in jars
1 ½ cups filtered water
1 ½ cups white vinegar
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons canning salt or sea salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled
6 sprigs fresh dill weed
9 black peppercorns
½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

  1. Sterilize jars and keep hot until ready to use.
  2. In a large pan, bring water, vinegars and salt to a boil. Stir salt until it dissolves. Keep mixture hot.
  3. Place 2 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs dill, 3 peppercorn and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes into the bottom of each hot jar.
  4. Stuff the carrot sticks vertically in each jar, as many as you can get!
  5. Using a funnel, add the hot liquid mixture to each jar leaving ½ an inch of headspace at the top. Do not overfill.
  6. Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean cloth and place the sterilized lids on top. Screw on the rings, just until tight.
  7. Bring a water bath canner or large stock pot to an angry boil.
  8. Carefully lower each jar in the pot of boiling water and process for 10 minutes.
  9. Lift each jar out and set on a towel on the counter to cool. Try to let cool overnight. You will hear a ‘ping’ meaning the jars have sealed.
  10. When the jars are cooled double to check if they have sealed by pushing on the top of the lid. If any jars have not sealed store them in the refrigerator, they will keep for several months. Sealed jars will keep up to a year in a cool dark shelf or cabinet.
  11. Let jars sit at least a week before opening to develop flavor. Store opened jars in the refrigerator.