One of the most delicious ferments and a great introduction to fermented foods to those new to these gut-healing concoctions and their bold flavors.
These fermented carrots are mildly tangy, maintain their crunchy texture, and will make your immune-regulating microbiome very, very happy.
Not to mention their beautiful bright orange pigment makes them even more fun to snack on.
My fam loves these fermented carrot sticks on their own or as a sour side to our morning eggs, lunch-time sandwich, or dinner chicken dish.
Ingredients & Equipment
Organic Carrots
Filtered Water
High Quality Salt
Pot
Fermenting Weights
Glass Jars with lids
Instructions
#1:
Thoroughly rinse carrots in water and cut into strips that come up to the height of just below the neck of the jar you are using. This will ensure you can cover the carrots with water and still fit the glass fermenting weight inside.
Food preservation tip: don’t throw away your carrot tops and tip ends! Keep them in a ziplock bag in the freezer to add to your bones for bone broth or vegetable stock!
#2:
Stuff carrots into jars. It helps to lay the jar on its side to help keep the carrots all uniformly upright so you can fit in as many sticks as possible.
Fun fact: My 2 year old is a ferment fanatic. She happily will eat sauerkraut and pickles and sip kombucha all day. But by far, fermented carrot sticks are her favorite!
#3:
Pour in 4 cups of water into a pot and heat on low heat for a few minutes until water becomes slightly warm (not much warmer than room temperature).
The general rule for the brine (salt water) is two (2) tablespoons of salt for every quart (4 cups/32 oz) of water. This recipe yields two (2) quarts of carrot sticks but since the carrots take up so much space in the jar only approximately 2 cups/16 oz of brine is needed in each jar.
#4:
Add two (2) tablespoons of high quality salt into the warm water. Stir around to dissolve and distribute evenly.
#5:
Immediately pour brine into jars until the carrots are completely submerged. Leave some space towards the top of the jar to allow for the weight to be placed in without the brine overflowing out of the jar.
#6:
Place glass fermenting weights into jars so they are resting on top of the carrots. Press down gently to allow brine to come up over the weights to ensure the weights stay down and that the brine is completely covering the carrots.
The brine not only aids in fermenting the carrots but also prevents bad bacteria from forming. As long as the carrots are submerged below the brine in this oxygen free environment, no mold will form.
#7:
Cover with a loosely fitted lid to allow airflow but prevent bugs and debris from getting in.
Place somewhere on your counter away from direct sunlight for seven (7) days.
If I think about it, I like to tighten the lid once a day and tip the jars over 2-3 times to help redistribute any salt and bacteria that has settled to the bottom of the jars. I then place them back on the counter and loosen the lids again. This is not necessary but I’ve noticed it typically produces a better final product.
Also, I prefer using a plastic lid for fermenting. I’m not a big fan of plastic in general, but the metal rings that come on the mason jars will rust a little from the brine and that’s not good to have around food you want to eat.
#8:
After seven (7) days, taste the carrots. They are “ready” when they no longer taste salty and instead have a tangy, sour flavor. You can leave out on counter longer for a more sour taste, or at this point transfer to your fridge for storage.
These will stay good for many months, but always use your best judgement when eating ferments after a few weeks; discard if it smells off-putting (not vinegary), is slimy, or has mold on the carrots.
Enjoy & Shalom!
Fermented Carrot Sticks
Deliciously tangy fermented carrot sticks – the perfect snack that you and your gut will love!
Equipment
- Pot/sauce pan
- Two (2) Fermenting weights
- Two (2) Quart-sized Glass Mason Jars with lids
Ingredients
- 5-7 Large Carrots, cut into sticks *this is an estimate – fit as many sticks as you can into the 2 jars
- 4 Cups Filtered Water i.e., 1 quart/32 oz
- 2 Tbsp High Quality Salt *I use pink himalayan salt
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse carrots in water and cut into strips that come up to the height of just below the neck of the jar you are using. This will ensure you can cover the carrots with water and still fit the glass fermenting weight inside.
- Stuff carrots into jars. It helps to lay the jar on its side to help keep the carrots all uniformly upright so you can fit in as many sticks as possible.
- Pour in 4 cups of water into a pot and heat on low heat for a few minutes until water becomes slightly warm (not much warmer than room temperature). *See notes
- Add two (2) tablespoons of high quality salt into the warm water. Stir around to dissolve and distribute evenly.
- Immediately pour brine into jars until the carrots are completely submerged. Leave some space towards the top of the jar to allow for the weight to be placed in without the brine overflowing out of the jar.
- Place glass fermenting weights into jars so they are resting on top of the carrots. Press down gently to allow brine to come up over the weights to ensure the weights stay down and that the brine is completely covering the carrots.**See notes
- Cover with a loosely fitted lid to allow airflow but prevent bugs and debris from getting in. Place somewhere on your counter away from direct sunlight for seven (7) days. ***See notes
- After seven (7) days, taste the carrots. They are "ready" when they no longer taste salty and inside have a tangy, sour flavor. You can leave out on counter longer for a more sour taste, or at this point transfer to your fridge for storage. ****See notes
Notes
*The general rule for the brine (salt water) is two (2) tablespoons of salt for every quart (4 cups/32 oz) of water. This recipe yields two (2) quarts of carrot sticks but since the carrots take up so much space in the jar only approximately 2 cups/16 oz of brine is needed in each jar.
**The brine not only aids in fermenting the carrots but also prevents bad bacteria from forming. As long as the carrots are submerged below the brine in this oxygen free environment, no mold will form.
***If I think about it, I like to tighten the lid once a day and tip the jars over 2-3 times to help redistribute any salt and bacteria that has settled to the bottom of the jars. I then place them back on the counter and loosen the lids again. This is not necessary but I’ve noticed it typically produces a better final product
****These will stay good for many months, but always use your best judgement when eating ferments after a few weeks; discard if it smells off-putting (not vinegary), is slimy, or has mold on the carrots