The garden season is winding down as quickly as it started where I’m located in Zone 3b Northeastern Minnesota.

We had a very late start to the season. The snow receded just enough from the garden on May 10th that I was finally able to get my onions in. Nearly a full month later than usual. It was a brutal winter that saw around 200 inches of snow in my particular location, and it took forever to get rid of it all. This was, of course, a blessing as the year before we had had a terrible drought. It made for a fast and furious garden season, but we did it.

This was the first garden season in 3 years where I felt strong enough to do most of the gardening on my own. I deal with chronic back pain stemming from a multi-blown disc event that occurred in the spring of 2020. Since then, I’ve been learning how to take my health into my own hands and have finally found myself in a place of peace, acceptance, and a little more independence than I’ve experienced in the couple years prior.

With this renewed energy and ability, it was my mission to stay on top of the garden and everything coming out of it. Part of that includes making and incorporating fermented foods daily into my diet. There’s so many reason fermented foods are beneficial to our health. I recommend checking out the Weston A. Price Foundation or starting out with Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell.

When I first began really getting into fermenting a couple of years ago, I started with a tried-and-true favorite: fermented carrots. From there, I learned that you can ferment pretty much any (firm) vegetable. So as the garden gave up its goodness, I started sticking them all in a simple salt brine and not only eating them every day, but looking forward to eating them every day. Now, as I make breakfast, I find myself digging into my little bowl of ferments before the rest of my food is ready.

So if you’ve ever been curious about fermented foods, but have an aversion to the idea of sauerkraut (and if this stems from your only sauerkraut experience being that of the mushy, canned stuff, then you have not had real sauerkraut- it’s a totally different product, let me assure you), I highly recommend you start out with fermented carrots. My kids all love them. They are crunchy and delicious and you can get as simple or as creative as you’d like with this recipe. Let’s give it a go.

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Before we begin, you should know that you can make delicious fermented carrots with nothing more than carrots and a salt brine. But if you like more of a pickled flavor, try out the dill, garlic, and crushed red pepper (my favorite way to prepare them).

For each quart jar of fermented carrots, you will need:

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into sticks

1 sprig of fresh dill (optional)

3 cloves of garlic, peeled (optional)

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

For the brine:

Measure out 2 Tablespoons of good quality salt into a clean quart jar. No refined, iodized table salt here. I recommend Redmond Real Salt. Add (filtered) lukewarm water up to the neck of the jar and stir with a wooden spoon until the salt is completely dissolved. Set aside.

Note: you cannot use chlorinated water in your ferments; to remove the chlorine from your water, boil it for 20 minutes and allow it to cool before using.

Drop your optional dill, garlic, and crushed red pepper into the bottom of a sterilized quart jar. Then begin stuffing your carrot sticks into the jar vertically.

You want to try and fit as many carrots into your jar as possible. Stick them down in between any gaps and cracks available, leaving a good 1″ headspace between the tops of your carrots and the rim of your jar. Once you’ve got as many carrots as you can fit, pour your brine over them, again leaving 1″ headspace (you will have leftover brine- store remaining brine in the refrigerator until it’s time to make your next ferment). It’s very important that the carrots stay below the brine. I use these glass fermentation weights to keep my ferments submerged. Then you want to add a fermentation air lock. This is the best way to prevent mold growth on your ferments by allowing gases to escape while preventing anything from coming in. You can also use a canning lid with a band, but you will need to “burp” your jars- simply unscrewing the lid to release built up gas and then tightening it again- a couple of times a day, otherwise you could have an explosion on your hands. For me personally, I know myself. And I know I will forget to do this. So investing in tools like fermentation weights and airlocks means I won’t waste my time on something that molds or explodes.

Then set your jars of carrots on the counter and let them sit for at least 5 days. During that time you will start to very quickly- within a day or two- see bubbles traveling up the length of the jar and even some foaming at the top. The liquid in the jars will become cloudy, which is a great sign that happy fermentation is taking place.

After those initial 5 days, test one of your carrots. If you like the way they taste, simply remove your fermentation weight and air lock, and affix a canning lid and band to your jar and place in the refrigerator. If you want a stronger taste, let them sit another day or two. You really will learn how to let taste lead you. I will sometimes leave them for 10 days, depending on what my taste buds prefer. After you put them in the refrigerator, they will continue to ferment very slowly. Flavor will deepen over time, depending on how long they last you.

When you first start out eating your fermented goodness, just try a few carrot sticks at a time, once a day. You really do want to ease into eating ferments (don’t go eating an entire jar in a sitting- although you might want to!). As your body allows, you can then aim for 3 servings of fermented foods per day. A serving here would be maybe 3-4 carrot sticks, or in general, 1/4 cup of fermented vegetables.

Get into the habit of serving them alongside each of your main meals. It might sound weird eating pickles with breakfast, but trust me- once you start doing it, you can’t imagine not. And this goes for the whole family. Get the jar out, put it on the table, and make it a part of your routine.

Happy fermenting, my friends!

Print Recipe

Lacto Fermented Carrots

Prep Time5 d

Equipment

2 quart jars (1) for carrots and (1) for mixing up brine. You could use a liquid measuring cup or other container for brine.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into sticks optionally, you can slice into rounds
2 Tbs non-iodized, quality salt
4 cups filtered water you will have leftover brine; store in refrigerator
1 sprig fresh dill (optional)
3 cloves peeled garlic (optional)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

Instructions

If you are using the optional dill, garlic, and crushed red pepper, add these to the bottom of your clean, sterilized jar. Then start stuffing the jar with your carrot sticks. Stack them in vertically, fitting as many carrots into the jar as you can, leaving 1 inch headspace in the jar.
To make the brine, add the 2 Tbs. salt into your second quart jar, then fill to the neck of the jar with lukewarm water. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the salt is dissolved.
Pour brine over the carrots, leaving 1 inch headspace.
Place your fermentation weight on top of carrots, pushing them down and keeping them submerged.
Place your air lock on top of the jar and affix with a canning ring.
Set aside for at least 5 days; check taste. If you want them to be stronger, allow to sit for an additional 1-2 days and check again. Once your fermented carrots are as strong as you'd like them, remove the fermentation weight and air lock and replace with canning lid and band. Store in the refrigerator.

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thank you. Homestead on, my friends.