Ginger Carrots

Ginger carrots made in the last City Market canning class of the season

We’re heading into the home stretch of our Preserving the Harvest classes. Lindsay Harris will demonstrate raw milk mozzarella one last time tonight, and we have a Dehydrating Fruits and Vegetables class on September 13 and a Kimchi and Sauerkraut class on September 20.

It’s fitting that I’m posting the ginger carrots recipe today, as the summer wanes, because the idea for the Preserving the Harvest series started with this recipe. It also seems right to be writing about carrots in this post-flood reckoning, because there's something hopeful about a hardy orange carrot.

Carrots rescued from the Intervale

Devon Karn, who has been canning for 9 years and lending her experience to the canning classes for member-worker credit, told me about this recipe way back in the later winter. She had received a 25-pound bag of carrots from the Intervale and it took her only a minute to realize that rather than try to accommodate them in the fridge, she was going to slice and can them. Since winter is also ginger season, she put in a ton of ginger, and that’s how this recipe was born.

Meeting in March to talk about canning and lacto-fermentation classes this summer, Devon told me about her ginger carrots, which she said she and her husband were addicted to. Plus, she said, “it’s nice to have something other than green on the canning shelf!” It's also nice to give as gifts - a frugal yet hip alternative to jams.

We decided to make this recipe a final feature in a series of canning classes, and then we worked backward from there to set up a series for the summer.

Now, this recipe has quite a gingery bite, with a sharp rather than sweet flavor from the ginger and white vinegar. Ginger aficionados will love this recipe. For those of us who need a somewhat mellower flavor when it comes to ginger, Devon recommended we try (1) substituting apple cider vinegar for the white vinegar, (2) make the recipe half vinegar and half water and/or (3) add a little honey. None of these changes will result in changes to the canning instructions.

Enjoy these pickles with Indian rice and curries, put them in salads, or eat as a snack (ginger may be eaten too, for those who want that extra bite!).

Ginger Carrot Pickles
6 cups white vinegar
2 cups water
½ cup salt
5 pounds carrots (25-30 medium)
1 to 1 ½ inch piece of ginger per pint jar
1 tsp. coriander seed per pint jar
½ tsp. peppercorns per pint jar
 
Prepare canner, jars, and lids.
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve salt.
Peel carrots and slice into ¼ inch rounds.
Peel ginger and slice as thinly as possible.
Place carrot slices, interspersed with ginger slices, into pint jars; leave about an inch of space at the top.
Add coriander seed and peppercorns to each jar.
Ladle hot pickling liquid into the jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.
Process for 10 minutes.

Yields: 7 pints