Fermented Carrots with Dill and Garlic
Fermented carrots with garlic and dill made with a handful of ingredients you likely already have on hand. Easy, crunchy, and no special tools needed.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
Brine
- 2 cups hot water
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns
Fermented Carrots
- 4-5 medium carrots (about 1 ½ pounds) peeled and cut into sticks
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 1 jalapeno pepper sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 sprigs dill or 1 tablespoon dried dill
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups hot waterwith 1 tablespoon sea salt. Stir until the salt completely dissolves to create the brine. Add 1 bay leaf and 6 black peppercornsand set aside.
- Peel the carrots and slice them into thin sticks, length depending on preference. Aim for uniform pieces so they ferment evenly.
- Pack the jar with carrot sticks, smashed garlic cloves, jalapenos, and fresh dill sprigs.
- Pour the prepared saltwater brine over the carrots, making sure they are fully submerged. If necessary, add more water to ensure everything is covered.
- Place the fermentation weight over the carrots to keep them submerged in the brine. Cover the jar loosely with a lid or a clean cloth to allow the air to flow but keep the debris out.
- Let the jar sit at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, depending on your taste preferences and the ambient temperature. Fermentation times can vary, but typically, the carrots will be ready in 4-5 minutes. Taste them every couple of days to check the flavor.
- Once the carrots are fermented to your liking, move the jar to the refrigerator to store. They'll continue to develop flavor, but at a much slower rate.
Notes
Storage: Store fermented carrots in the refrigerator in the original jar, brine included for up to 6 months. If you finish the carrots and still have the brine left over, you can just add more carrots (or other veggies) to it and keep it in the fridge to allow slow-fermentation.
Helpful Tips:
- Cut carrots into uniform sticks about 3-4 inches long and ½ inch thick so they ferment and fit neatly into a wide-mouth quart size jar.
- Pack the jar tightly with carrots to prevent them from floating and to reduce air exposure.
- Always keep the carrots submerged in brine. A fermentation weight works great for this purpose.
- Taste every 2-3 days with a clean utensil (I know, tough job!). When they taste tangy and slightly fizzy, they're ready. They should still be crunchy not soft.
Nutrition
Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.03g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1793mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10243IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 0.3mg