Dilly Pickled Carrots
These pickles are quick to make and perform miracles on boring meals. I tend to munch them straight from the jar. More discerning eaters should try them added to tuna salad or with a salad Nicoise.
These pickles are quick to make and perform miracles on boring meals. I tend to munch them straight from the jar. More discerning eaters should try them added to tuna salad or with a salad Nicoise.
- Carbohydrate 69.0992585691215 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.002502532 g
- Fiber 19.8982292178543 g
- Protein 7.1597685615 g
- Saturated Fat 0.28270376535 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1183g)
- Sodium 7462.05810296409 mg
- Sugar 49.2010293512672 g
- Trans Fat 0.5715997596 g
- Calories 340 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil in which to blanch the carrots.
- Prepare 1 pint and a half jar, or 2 12-ounce jelly jars. Place lid(s) in a small pot of water and bring to the barest bubble to soften sealing compound.
- Peel carrots and trim to fit jars. Cut into thin sticks.
- When the water comes to a boil, drop in the carrots and cook for either 90 seconds if you plan on canning your pickles, or 3 minutes if you?re making them as refrigerator pickles.
- When time is up, remove carrots from water and run under cold water to stop cooking.
- Combine vinegar, water and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Place spices and garlic cloves into the bottom of the jar or jars.
- Pack carrots sticks upright in jar(s).
- Pour the boiling brine over the carrots, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Tap jar(s) gentle to remove air bubbles.
- Wipe the rims and apply the lids and rings.
- If you?re canning the pickles, process them for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
- When time is up, remove jar(s) from canner and let cool.
- Sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Refrigerator pickles should be placed in the fridge as soon as the jars are cool.
- Let pickles rest in pickling liquid for at least 48 hours before eating.
Standard ingredient lists omit the critical distinction between structural integrity and mushy failure when handling root vegetables in vinegar. Carrots possess dense cellular walls requiring thermal intervention before they can absorb brine evenly without splitting. Blanching them for precisely 90 seconds if canning, or three full minutes for refrigerator storage, softens the pectin just enough to halt enzymatic breakdown while retaining structural bite.
Vinegar-to-water ratios govern shelf stability and flavor sharpness equally. Equal parts white vinegar and water create a standard five percent acidity level necessary for safe processing, preventing microbial growth without overwhelming the natural sweetness of the carrot. Pickling salt must be used instead of iodized table salt; anti-caking agents and iodine cloud the pickling liquid and turn the garlic grey.
Allowing these carrots to rest in their pickling liquid for 48 hours is mandatory for proper osmotic exchange, as the sodium and acid slowly displace the natural moisture inside the vegetable cells. Leftover brine remaining in the jar after the carrots are consumed can be reused once to quick-pickle sliced radishes or cucumbers within forty-eight hours, maximizing every drop of the spiced liquid.
