As I continue in my #bloggingfundamentals course I have been reading through other blogs and came across a great one on pickled vegetables. This reminded me of my recipe for spicy pickled carrots so I figured why not? A couple years ago Beth and I were planning to attend her annual family reunion.
Summertime, the pond, family and food shared!
Who would say no? And another aspect made the day a fun challenge as well – a food auction to help raise money to maintain the camp area, the rest rooms, the trails, and all. I wanted to make a batch of pickles. Not the canning kind that take hours (although I did buy a canning set when I was inspired by my college friend Mickey) but simple pickles. The kind that you just put in the jar and keep in the fridge and eat in a matter of days or weeks…. they keep for up to 30 days in the refrigerator, and if you’re like me, that’s plenty of time! I hope you enjoy.
Ingredients:
- 2 10-oz bags pre-shredded carrots (or you can use baby carrots, or slices of regular carrots)
- 2 ripe jalapeno peppers sliced into coins (with seeds removed if you don’t like heat)
- 2 2/3 cup of white vinegar
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp mixed black pepper and sea salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 5 cloves
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 1 tsp whole allspice
- 2 wide mouth 1 quart canning jars
Spices are up to you. I like a warm flavor but let your tastes guide you. 
Experiment with different spices. Bay, pepper, turmeric and so many others.
Instructions:
- Clean and wash the canning jars
- Rinse the carrots
- Combine vinegar, water, spices and salt/pepper in a medium size saucepan. Heat til boiling.
- Drop carrots and jalapeno coins into the boiling mixture and let cook for 3 – 4 minutes. You don’t want them cooked through so if using shredded, you may need to remove them sooner. Test a piece at the 3 minute mark. If it’s slightly soft, with a bit of snap still, you’re done.
- Remove the carrots from the pan (use a slotted spoon or sieve but save the brine since you’ll be using it to cover the carrots in your jar). Rinse carrots under cold water to stop cooking.
- Distribute the cooked carrot/pepper mixture between the two jars
- When the brine is cool enough to handle, pour over the carrots, leaving a 1/2″ space at the top of each jar
- Lightly shake or tap the jars to make sure there are no bubbles, wipe off the outside of the jar and rim to remove any brine. Insert the lid into the ring and screw onto the jar loosely.
- Let the jars cool, then tighten the lids and place in the refrigerator
Pickled carrots are flavorful and ready to eat the next day (although I’ve been known to eat them same day as soon as they were cool!) Pickled carrots can be used a number of ways:
- As a topping on a burger, hot dog or sausage
- As a side dish with beef or fish
- On fish tacos or a roast beef sandwich
I brought 4 jars of pickles to that family reunion. One for taste testing along with our lunch, and 3 for the auction. Believe it or not they went for $15 a jar! One of the highest bid prices of the afternoon.
Mad Tastes from My World to Yours 