Fermented or pickled carrots make a healthy and delicious snack. They’re crispy, with a pleasant tang, and pair beautifully with many dishes. They go especially well with a variety of dips — my favorite combination is with hummus. These bright orange sticks also add a pop of color to any table.
Ingredients (per 0.5 L / pint jar):
- Carrots – 2 medium
- Cabbage leaves – 2
- Water – 4 cups (1 liter)
- Ginger root – a ¾-inch piece (about 2 cm)
- Allspice berries – 3
- Bay leaf – 1
- Carnation – 3
- Coriander – 1/2 tsp
- Mustard seed – 1/2 tsp
- Sea salt or rock salt – 3 tablespoons (about 50 g)
Cooking process
Prepare the brine:
Pour 1 liter (4 cups) of water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Add salt and all the spices, stir well, then remove from heat and let it cool completely. Your spiced brine is now ready.
Prepare the carrots:
Wash, peel, and cut the carrots into sticks. Make the sticks 2–3 cm shorter than the height of the jar you’ll use for fermenting. This ensures they fit comfortably under the brine and lid without sticking out.
Prepare the ginger:
Slice the peeled ginger root into thin rounds.
Pack the jar:
Place the ginger slices at the bottom of the jar, then tightly pack the carrot sticks on top. Leave some space at the top of the jar—enough so the brine can cover the carrots by 2–3 cm.
Add cabbage leaf and brine:
Place a cabbage leaf over the carrots and pour in the cooled brine, ensuring all the carrots are fully submerged. If needed, use a rolled cabbage leaf as a weight to keep the carrots under the brine.
Fermentation:
Seal the jar tightly and let the carrots ferment at room temperature for 2 weeks. Ideally, keep the room below 22 °C (max 25 °C) and out of direct sunlight. A dark corner or covering the jar with a kitchen towel works well. Make sure the carrots remain fully submerged. Open the lid slightly every day to release any built-up carbon dioxide.
Maturation:
After 2 weeks, transfer the jar to the refrigerator and let the carrots mature for an additional 2 weeks. Once fermentation is complete, the carrots can be stored in the fridge.
Notes and Tips:
- Fermentation is a natural way to preserve vegetables while enhancing their nutritional value. Fermented carrots retain vitamins, minerals, and probiotics, making them as nutritious as fresh ones.
- Don’t discard the brine after eating the carrots. You can reuse it for the next batch. Using brine already enriched with lactic acid bacteria will speed up fermentation.
Fermented Lemons Recipe https://takajaeda.com/en/recipes-en/preserved-lemons/
Pickled garlic recipe https://takajaeda.com/en/recipes-en/pickled-garlic/