This is closed jar pickle that ferments under pressure, carbonating the pickling liquid and keeping out that mustiness that comes from oxygen contact (not bad, just not this pickle.)
These carrot pickles are crisp, sour, salty and a little funky, packed with probiotic goodness from the wild fermentation. Best yet, they require no hot water bath cooking, just the patience to let them ferment. When I’m overwhelmed with summer produce (like this giant box of carrots!), these pickles are a welcomed, easy task. I just have to pack the jars, pour over the brine, crank down the lid and wait.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups sliced carrots
- 3 tbs kosher salt
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp coriander seed
- 1 tsp cumin seed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2-4 fresh or dried hot peppers
- 1 quart jar with lid (bail top is best, but canning jar will also work)
Instructions:
1. Add spices, garlic, hot peppers and carrots to the jar.
2. Heat the water to a boil and add the kosher salt, stirring to dissolve.
3. Pour the hot brine into the jar of carrots, filling to cover, almost to the top. Wipe the rim. Seal tightly with a canning lid (much tighter than you would for canning, as carbon dioxide will be produced by fermentation and you want to keep the liquid from overflowing.)
4. Allow the jar to cool, then leave it on the countertop for 1 week for the initial fermentation kickstart. I put the jar on a pie plate, just in case a little liquid escapes. The liquid will turn cloudy. If using a canning jar, the jar top might bulge, and that is OK! After a week, move the jar to a cool, dark location like your basement or a cool cupboard, to ferment further. Ferment for a minimum of eight weeks before eating to ensure that proper acid has developed. Refrigerate before opening, as the contents are carbonated!
Photo by Pixabay
5. The carbonated pickling brine makes an amazing cocktail or refreshing tonic. I recommend mixing it with vodka, gin or aquavit.
6. Pickles will last up to a year, and get more acidic the longer they sit.
Tammy Kimbler hails from her Minneapolis, Minn., backyard and beyond, where she is a cultivator, gardener, preserver, forager, traveler, tomato fanatic, cook, hen wrangler. Connect with her on Instagramand read all of Tammy Kimbler’s MOTHER EARTH NEWS posts here.
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