Almost glow-in-the-dark orange
The carrots practically chose themselves. They were stacked up in the supermarket looking ridiculously fresh, crisp and almost fluorescent in that bright orange way good carrots have when they are at their best. No limp ends, no dull colour, no sad little bendy specimens hiding at the bottom of the bag. They looked as though they had been polished for the occasion. I went in thinking vaguely about mixed vegetables and came out convinced that carrots deserved a jar all to themselves. Sometimes a recipe starts with a plan. Sometimes it starts because one vegetable is showing off.
My first mistake was cutting them into long strips. They looked great in the jar, very neat and rather elegant, but they were awkward to eat. A long strip of pickled carrot has a tendency to wave around on the fork, slide off, or generally behave as though it would rather be anywhere else. I should have cut those strips once more into shorter pieces, still chunky enough to keep a good crunch, but far easier to spear and eat. It is one of those small things you only notice once the jar is already made.
This means, as you will notice, the images don't quite add up to the recipe and final product. I made the pickled carrots as one of the first pickles and the website setup was nowhere to be seen. In the meantime the carrot pickle has been rather enthusiastically consumed by the family. All of it.
Let’s get to it: One Sunshine carrot pickle coming up.
By Omsie of Pink Blocks Pantry fame (she wishes… the fame bit)
But with no further ado we will get going with the carrot pickle, called Sunshine carrot pickle. Nice name, isn’t it.
Start by peeling and trimming the carrots, then cut them into short batons rather than long strips. The idea is to keep a satisfying bit of crunch without ending up with pieces that are awkward to spear with a fork.
Once the carrots are ready, blanch them in boiling water for about 4 to 5 minutes. This was one of the lessons from the first batch. Two or three minutes sounded sensible at the time, but the carrots stayed harder than I wanted. A fridge pickle adds flavour much more quickly than it softens a firm vegetable, so it is worth getting the texture close to where you want it before the carrots go into the jar.
Making the pickle and adding spices
While the carrots are draining, divide the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, sliced garlic and bay leaves between the clean jars. If you like a bit of heat, add a small pinch of chilli flakes too. I have made the chilli optional because not everybody wants their pickle to fight back.
For the brine, combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle simmer for a few minutes, just until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Then pack the carrots into the jars and pour the hot brine over them until everything is covered.
Running out of brine (pickling juice)
One practical lesson I have now learned several times is to make a little more brine than you think you will need. Throwing away half a cup of extra pickling liquid is far easier than discovering the last jar is only three-quarters full and trying to work out how much vinegar, water, sugar and salt to make for a tiny top-up batch. In fact, just adding a dollop of extra white vinegar will punish you severely.
Let the jars cool for a short while, close the lids and put them in the fridge. Give the carrots a couple of days before you start tasting them properly. By then the spices will have had time to work their way into the brine and the carrots will have taken on that lovely sharp, slightly sweet pickle flavour.
Ingredients
- Carrots, peeled and trimmed, enough to fill 2 jars
- 2 cups white grape vinegar or white vinegar
- 1½ cups water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 to 10 black peppercorns
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- ¼ to ½ tsp chilli flakes, optional
Method
- Cut the carrots into short batons, slightly larger than bite-sized.
- Blanch for 4 to 5 minutes, then test one. They should be firm and crunchy, not hard.
- Divide the mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves between the jars.
- Add chilli flakes if using.
- Heat the vinegar, water, sugar and salt for 2 to 3 minutes until dissolved.
- Pack the carrots into the jars and cover completely with the hot brine.
- Cool for 20 to 30 minutes, close the lids and refrigerate.
- Leave for 2 to 3 days before tasting.
Kitchen notes
Short pieces are easier to manage than long strips.
Blanching matters because fridge pickling adds flavour faster than it softens vegetables.
Make a little more brine than you think you need. It is easier to discard a little extra than to try to judge how much you need to top up your veg.
Give away the second jar to somebody you love!
Keep refrigerated.
Final thoughts
The best thing about this pickle is probably how simple it is. Carrots are cheap, easy to find and sturdy enough to survive a few days in brine without turning into mush. Once you get the blanching time right and cut them into sensible pieces, they are really quite forgiving.
This batch also taught me that the first version of a recipe is not always the final one. The long strips looked pretty but were awkward to eat, and the carrots needed more time in boiling water than I first gave them. Both are easy fixes, and that is rather the point of Pink Blocks Pantry. Cook it, taste it, make a note, and do it better next time. No need for years of kitchen experience or Cordon Bleu training.
Sunshine carrot pickle is bright, crunchy, sharp, slightly sweet and very easy to keep in the fridge for those moments when a plate needs something extra. And if you like a bit of heat, a pinch of chilli will happily join the party.
