The secret to canning delicious carrots is simple: fresh, firm produce and using the raw packed method of canning. To preserve a nice firm and not mushy carrot I use the raw packed method. This reduces the amount of time the vegetables are exposed to heat, maintaining the perfect texture in your preserves.

Raw packing means that you are are not pre-cooking the carrots. The less heat that your preserves are exposed to the more nutrients and colour are maintained. In the case of low acid food, you will need to use a pressure canner to process the jars.

Ingredients

• 10 Lbs Carrots (scrubbed / stalks removed)
• 9 Pints distilled hot water
• 1 tsp Sea Salt or Pickling salt (must not contain anti caking agents)

Supplies

• Pressure Canner
• 9 x Pint jars, lids & bands
• Sharp knife
• Potato peeler
• large pan for hot water
• Butter knife or chopsticks
• Jar lifter
• Clean Tea towels

Recipe makes 9 pints

Instructions

• Scrub the carrots. Trim the tops and bottoms and peel the skin off with a sharp knife or potato peeler. Slice the carrots to your preferred thickness, try to be consistent. I don't recommend leaving the skin on, the texture isn't very nice when canned.

• Get the pressure canner ready.

• Keep your jars warm. They should be washed and cleaned but do not need to be sterilized. Set aside a bowl with the lids and rings.

• Fill each jar with carrots and cover with hot water leaving 1″ head space. You can also add 1tsp salt. Remove air pockets by gently running a chopstick around the inside of the jar. You may need to top up the water little bit. Wipe the jars and rims, put the lid on and tighten the rings. Set them in your canner. Repeat until all jars are finished.

• Refer to your product manual for instructions on your pressure canner. For elevations under 1000 process pint jars at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes and 30 minutes for quarts. Let your pressure canner cool down before opening. Open up the canner carefully, being cautious of steam. Using a jar lifter carefully lift the jars and place them on a cutting board or towel to cool for 24 hours.

• Once the jars have cooled, check their seal. You will hear the occasional pinging as the jars are cooling. If you look at the lid, you should notice that there is a small bump. This bump sucks down as the jar seals. If you press on the center of the lid and that bump pops up, the jar is not sealed properly. If you should have an issue with a jar not sealing, refrigerate it and eat within a week.

• Remove the metal rings and wipe the lids and jars with a damp clean cloth. Store the jars in a cool dark place.

Tip

Bring your canner to temperature slowly making slow, gradual adjustments. Be patient and let the pressure canner cool before opening the lid. Rapid changes in pressure can push the liquid out of the jars. A little bit of liquid loss is fine but half or more and you should refrigerate and eat within a week.