Description

Easy fermented carrot sticks that are perfect for lunch boxes or the veggie tray. Ready in just 4 days.

Ingredients

Scale

2 pound bag of organic carrots
2 teaspoons Himalayan salt
Zest from 2 lemons
1 tablespoon Fennel seed

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Instructions

Sanitize wide mouth jar, glass weight, and fermentation air lock lid.
Peel the carrots and cut them into carrot sticks about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long.
In a separate measuring cup mix the salt in 2 cups of water to make the brine. Stir until fully dissolved.
Pack carrot sticks into jar so that they stand upright.
Pour the brine over the carrots in the jar. Using a clean knife, dislodge any air bubbles that remain around the carrots.
Add lemon zest and fennel seed to the jar.
Place one or two glass fermentation weights into the top of the jar to keep the carrots submerged under the brine. Push down on the weights so that they are covered in brine and the carrots are held down under the brine.
Place the air lock on top of the jar and secure in place with a canning jar ring.
Place the jar on a plate to catch any overflow from the jar. Set the plate away from sunlight and heat and allow it to ferment freely. It should take 3 to 4 days in a warm kitchen or a day or two longer in a cool kitchen.
The ferment is finished when the fermentation air lock remains concave, sunk-in on the top of the jar, after it has been puffed up (convex) for a few days.
Once the ferment is finished, remove the fermentation weights from the jar and replace the airlock lid with a conventional nonreactive canning jar lid. Refrigerate the ferment. The ferment will stay crisp and full of probiotics for several months. But eat it don’t store it.

Notes

Lemon zest and spices can be omitted from this recipe. I love to play with the additions adding things like cayenne peppers, garlic, basil leaves, citrus zest, dried tomatoes, and other tasty herbs and spices. Since the ferment only takes 10 days to make you can easily create a vast array of flavor profiles for tasty pickle trays.