I’ll show you how to make a super simple and delicious fermented vegetable recipe, ginger carrots! These carrots are brine-pickled and done in 4-5 days. They take less than 10 minutes to make using ingredients you may already have on hand, they taste delicious, and this same process can be used to make other vegetables you have like beets, radishes, etc. It’s fun, it’s quick, your gut and taste buds will love them.
1 Chef's knife not the one I used in the video but a great budget friendly knife I highly recommend: https://amzn.to/3vKjm1E
1 Culture starter Body Ecology (opt.) or use sauerkraut juice or just the saltwater brine: https://amzn.to/3SgsPGI
Ingredients
4cupswaterunchlorinated (filtered, well, boiled and cooled)
2tablespoonssea saltor fine kosher salt
8medium carrots or about 1.5 lbs carrots
1inch knobfresh gingergrated or finely sliced
Instructions
In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine the water and salt. Stir until all salt is dissolved and set aside.
Wash and slice carrots.
Grate or slice ginger and mix well with carrots.
Add carrots and ginger to a clean 1 quart mason jar.
Pour saltwater brine over top of carrots until covered. Leave about 1-1/2 inches of head space.
If desired, cover carrots with a pickling weight to keep submerged under the brine.
Cover jar with a fermentation air-lock or Pickle Pipe, screw on a canning ring, and set in bowl or dish to catch any overflow.
Set out of direct sunlight for 4 to 5 days to ferment. Taste. When the ferment is tart, tangy, and to your liking, cover with a canning lid and put in the fridge.
Video
Notes
This ferment will last at least 6 months in the fridge. At our house, we're lucky if there is any left in the fridge when the next batch is ready to eat.
What's not to love about ginger carrots? My kids don't love a lot of different veggies but they sure love these.
To make a half gallon, simply double the ingredients. You may need to add a few more carrots if doubling as you won't need extra head space for one of the batches.
If shredding the carrots instead of slicing them, you can make this recipe like kraut by adding the salt directly to the carrots and ginger and packing it tight and covering it to keep out the oxygen. Keep in mind you'll likely need more carrots! You may need to add a little brine to the top as carrots aren't as juicy as cabbage and keeping the ferment submerged is key to success.