I don’t love dill pickles, but I do enjoy sweet ones. My mom chops sweet gherkins into her potato salad, and they are wonderful.
Here is a recipe for sweet pickled carrots, or you can use green beans, radishes, red onions, beets, or any vegetable, really.
The recipe calls for a lot of sugar, but you are only marinating the pickles in the liquid, not drinking it. I pack pickled carrots with my lunches or serve them as a tasty side with dinner.
You can even chop them up and add them to deviled eggs, potato salad, dips, and tuna or chicken salad. They add a tart, sweet zing. Each recipe makes 1-quart vegetables. I usually make 2-pint jars or 4 8-oz jars. Any container with a lid will work.
These will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. No sterilization required.
Watch this week’s episode on how to make Homemade Pickled Veggies!
Ingredients
- 1lb carrots sliced
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup of rice vinegar
- 1 cup of sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons pickling spices – you will find this in the spice aisle
Preparation
- Peel carrots, cut in half, then slice into strips.
- Place 2 cups water in a large saucepan and heat to boiling.
- Place carrots in boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes – no more – you want to blanch them so that they retain their bright color, but also stay crunchy.
- Remove carrots from the water with tongs and place them into your jars.
- Add the vinegar, sugar, and pickling spice to the water, then heat to boiling.
- Carefully pour the vinegar mixture over the carrots in the jar.
- Place lids on the jars, let cool, then refrigerate.
