Easy Fermented Carrots: Crunchy Ginger Carrot Sticks

These crunchy fermented carrots are sweet, tangy, and oh-so-easy to make. In just 6 simple steps, you'll have crispy carrot sticks ready for snacking - or sneaking into your kids' lunchboxes.

August 2012 - I awoke exhausted with blood dripping down my legs and no memory of how I ended up like this. Was I secretly a werewolf with no recollection of how I came to be so bloodied? That, my friends, would have been much easier for me to deal with.

Instead, I discovered that I suffered from a horrific case of eczema that kept me itching even while I was sleeping. Steroid creams helped mask the symptoms, but the condition itself was slowly getting worse. I didn't want to take more medication as my doctor recommended. I was hoping to have another baby, and I couldn't imagine the drugs would be beneficial for a fetus, nor could I fathom being up at night, scratching and feeding an infant. I felt hopeless..and itchy. Very itchy.

Although back then, I didn't have much faith in naturopaths, I was desperate for a cure. So, I went to the Moncton Naturopathic Clinic and my life (and diet) changed. I had to ditch the gluten, the dairy, and most painful of all - sugar. (I would have much rather discovered that I was a werewolf and that I could continue to eat as much sugar as I liked.) He also recommended I start taking probiotics and eating more fermented foods to help heal my leaky gut. My recovery didn't happen overnight, and I still get small flare-ups when I overdose on sugary treats, but I have never awoken to bloodied arms or legs again.

There was and still is one problem with my diet - it's expensive. Fresh fruit, vegetables, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, fermented foods, and probiotic pills - they are all budget-busting ingredients and supplements. This is one of the reasons I homestead. It keeps food costs down, and I get access to some of the best quality foods money can't buy. This is also why I decided to take my fermentation efforts more seriously. I wanted to stop buying pricey probiotic pills and ferments. So far, this 12-month challenge is not only saving me money and spicing up my diet, but I'm actually enjoying more fermented drinks and foods.

This month, I experimented with making lunchbox-friendly lacto-fermented carrots with ginger and a slice of lemon. I can't say the kids are that ecstatic about having these sweet and sour sticks in their lunch, but my son will eat them, and that's a win in my books. Apparently, carrot sticks are more kid-friendly than my zucchini pickles and easier to pack in a lunch. Compared to my last two ferments (kefir and zucchini), this is also the easiest and most fail-proof recipe so far.

Supplies

• 1-quart glass jar - A wide-mouth mason jar works best for packing and cleaning.
• Fermentation weight or a small sealed plastic bag - Used to keep the carrots fully submerged in brine.  Although a sealed plastic bag works perfectly well when you're just getting started, I eventually switched to these glass fermentation weights (amazon.com or amazon.ca), and I love them. You can also use a fermentation lid or airlock lid, which lets gases escape automatically and avoids the rust that regular metal lids usually develop over time.
• Stainless steel knife - For chopping the carrots

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 medium-sized raw carrots, or enough to fill your mason jar
• 2 cups room temperature, non-chlorinated water (Note: If you're using tap water and it's chlorinated and you don't have a filter, let the water stand overnight, and the chlorine will evaporate.)
• 1.5 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
• A one-inch (or more) chunk of ginger, peeled and cut into pieces
• A slice of lemon (optional)
• One or two grape or oak leaves (optional, but they will help keep the carrots crunchy)  

Instructions

STEP 1

Wash and dry your mason jar.

STEP 2

Make the brine by dissolving the salt in the water. Note: You want to ensure your water is free from chlorine. Chlorinated water for fermentation will slow or prevent the growth of the beneficial lactobacteria and yeasts.

STEP 3

Wash and peel your carrots. Slice off the stem ends and put aside any bruised or questionable-looking specimens. Cut the carrots lengthwise into quarters and then short enough to fit into your jar with a little headspace above the carrots.

STEP 4

Pack the carrots, ginger, and oak or grape leaf (if you are using one) so tightly into your jars that you can not even squeeze in one more carrot. This is important because the vegetables will shrink as they ferment. This will help ensure they will stay immersed in the brine. Place the slice of lemon on top and cover with brine, leaving about one inch of headspace at the top of the jar so your bottles don't explode when the brine begins to bubble up.

Now, this is really important - the brine should cover the vegetables at all times, or else they will start developing mold and your ferment may be ruined. So long as they remain under the anaerobic safety of the brine, they'll be fine.

To keep the vegetables submerged, I placed a slice of carrot lengthwise on top. You could also use a cabbage leaf or a piece of cheesecloth, for example, followed by a fermentation weight. Check out this post for some creative weight ideas. You can also buy fermentation weights: amazon.com or amazon.ca.

STEP 5

Screw on the lids (but not too tightly in order to let some of the fermentation gases escape) and set in a location at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Soon you'll see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in the brine, which means you've been successful and the brine has started to acidify. This is the stage in which you will begin to "burp" your jar every couple of days if you are using a standard sealing lid. Simply unscrew the lid slightly and allow the gas to escape.

STEP 6

Over time, the mixture will become cloudy and start to develop a pleasantly sour smell. Lactobacillus species are most abundant during this time. Now, you can start to taste test the carrots.

But here is the tricky part. There isn't a cut-and-dry date for when fermented carrots are done. It depends on the temperature of your home and how sour you like them. It should take a week or two. Remember: Fermented carrots should smell pleasantly sour. Never eat fermented vegetables that smell bad. You may also want to avoid ferments that smell like alcohol (unless you want to get a bit tipsy). 

Once the carrots are done to your liking, screw the lids on tight and place them in the fridge or other cold storage facility. You may also want to label your ferments with the date.

Are Fermented Carrots Good for You?

Fermented foods are full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that are produced during the fermenting process. So, in other words, fermentation turns your food into natural probiotics. Instead of popping a probiotic pill, you could eat a fermented carrot instead, which may contain more probiotics than a pricey supplement.

One quick search on the Internet will result in tonnes of information on the health benefits of probiotics, from boosting your immune system to improving digestion. I don't know if it's all true, but I feel better when fermented foods are a regular part of my diet.

The Secret to Crunchy Carrots

Fermented carrots are naturally crispy, but you can add one or two tannin-rich grape or oak leaves to your ferment for a crunchy boost.  The tannin prevents vegetables' cell walls from breaking down.

Why Salt Matters (& What Kind to Use)

Salt is the MOST crucial ingredient in this recipe. It is a preservative that can keep vegetables edible for months… maybe even years!!! Can I get a "hooray" for salt! During the lacto-fermentation process, the salt draws juices from the vegetable's cells and creates that lovely, cloudy brine rich with gut-healthy, lactic acid bacteria.

The salinity of the brine encourages good bacteria to flourish and inhibits the growth of unwanted bacteria and yeast that could make us sick. Salt also helps keep your vegetables crispy by hardening the pectin in the cells of the vegetables.

What kind of salt should you use?
Use a non-iodized salt, like fine sea salt or kosher salt. Skip iodized table salt. It can mess with fermentation and sometimes leads to off flavors or a cloudy brine. Fine salt dissolves fast, which makes it easier to mix up a consistent brine and get your carrots fermenting properly.

New to fermenting?

Here are the biggest fermentation mistakes I've made and how to avoid them.

Read the post

How to Prevent Mold (Keep Everything Submerged)

The brine should cover the vegetables at all times, or they may start developing mold and yeast, and your ferment may be ruined. The salty brine creates an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) that's inhospitable to bad bacteria, so as long as your carrots remain under the anaerobic safety of the brine, they'll be fine. But any exposed portion will not be safe to eat.

Note: Carrots are more susceptible to yeasts due to their high sugar content, according to Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten K. and Christopher Shockey.

How to Tell If Your Carrots Have Fermented

You will see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in the salty water (brine), which means you've been successful and the brine has started to acidify. Over time, the mixture will become cloudy and start to develop a pleasantly sour smell. The gut-friendly Lactobacillus bacteria are most abundant during this time. Now, you can start to taste test your carrots.

Variations

Fermented carrots are so flexible that they pair well with almost any other spice or vegetable. I've personally experimented with using garlic cloves, dill, rosemary, and ginger, as well as lemons, radishes, and onions. You can also try bay leaves, fennel, mustard, caraway, or hot chili peppers.

Storage

Store your fermented carrots in jars with the lids tightened in the fridge. Fermented carrots will keep refrigerated for a year!

FAQ

Fermented Lemon Ginger Carrots

No ratings yet

These crunchy fermented carrots are sweet, tangy, and oh-so-easy to make. In just 6 simple steps, you'll have crispy carrot sticks ready for snacking - or sneaking into your kids' lunchboxes.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 6 to 8 medium-sized carrots or enough to fill your mason jar
• 2 cups room temperature, filtered water (Note: If your water is chlorinated and you don't have a filter, let the water stand overnight and the chlorine will evaporate.)
• 1.5 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
• One-inch (or more) chunk of ginger, peeled and cut into pieces
• slice of lemon (optional)
• 1 or 2 grape or oak leaves (optional - they will help keep your carrots crunchy)

Equipment

• 1-quart mason jar

Method

 

1. Wash and dry your mason jar.
2. Make the brine by dissolving the salt in the water. Note: You want to ensure your water is free from chlorine. Chlorinated water for fermentation will slow or prevent the growth of the beneficial lacto-bacteria and yeasts.
3. Wash and peel your carrots. Slice off the stem ends and put aside any bruised or questionable looking specimens. Cut the carrots lengthwise into quarters and then short enough to fit into your jar with a little headspace above the carrots.
4. Pack the carrots, ginger and leaves (if you are using) so tightly into your jars that you can not even squeeze in one more carrot. This is important because the vegetables will shrink as they ferment. This will help ensure they will stay immersed in the brine. Place the slice of lemon top and cover with brine, leaving about 1 inch of headspace so your bottles don't explode when the brine begins to bubble up.
5. Now, this is really important - the brine should cover the vegetables at all times or else they will start developing mold and your ferment may be ruined. So long as they remain under the anaerobic safety of the brine, they'll be fine.
6. To keep the vegetables submerged, I placed a slice of carrot lengthwise on top. You could also use a cabbage leaf or a piece of cheesecloth, for example, followed by some type of weight. Check out this post for some creative weight ideas. You can also buy fermentation weights.
7. Screw on the lids (but not too tightly in order to let some of the fermentation gasses escape) and set in a location at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Soon you'll see bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in the brine, which means you've been successful and the brine has started to acidify. This is the stage in which you will begin to "burp" your jar every couple of days if you are using a standard sealing lid. Simply unscrew the lid slightly and allow the gas to escape.
8. Over time, the mixture will become cloudy and start to develop a pleasantly sour smell. Lactobacillus species are most abundant during this time. Now, you can start to taste test the carrots.
9. But here is the tricky part. There doesn't seem to be a cut and dry date for when fermented carrots are done. It seems to depend on the temperature of your home and how sour you like them. It should take a week or two. Remember: Fermented carrots should smell pleasantly sour. Never eat fermented vegetables that smell bad. You may also want to avoid ferments that smell like alcohol (unless you want to get a bit tipsy).
10. Once the carrots are done to your liking, screw the lids on tight and place them in the fridge or other cold storage facility. You may also want to label your ferments with the date.

Notes

Fermented carrots are naturally crispy, but you can add one or two tannin-rich grape or oak leaves to your ferment for a crunchy boost.  The tannin prevents vegetables' cell walls from breaking down.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Thank you for your support!  You can find the full disclosure here.