Fermented Carrots Recipe: The Ultimate Snack To Feed Your Microbiome!
Fermented carrots are a delicious, gut pleasing treat and a great way to store the carrot harvest! They make a versatile addition to recipes and only take a matter of minutes to prep! Fermented carrots is definitely a gut-pleasing recipe you need to try!
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Why Make Fermented Carrots?
The Health Benefits
Fermented vegetables have been a proven powerhouse of beneficial bacteria for your gut! Fermented carrots are no exception! Vegetables naturally have pro- and prebiotics on their surface and in their cells, and these bacterial bodies are multiplied when the vegetable goes through a fermentation process! This is because you are giving the produce an environment without oxygen. This lack of oxygen causes the sugars to begin to break down and produce lactic acid as a by-product. In turn, the beneficial lactic acid loving bacteria begin to thrive!
Due to the sugars being broken down during the fermentation process, lacto-fermented carrots will have a reduced carbohydrate load and therefore reduce a lot of the gas, bloating and digestion issues that often accompany eating a high carb food. This process almost acts as a pre-digestion phase, producing enzymes that break down a lot of the molecules into smaller, easier to digest molecules that we then consume.
Fermentation naturally allows the nutrients in carrots to become more bioavailable. This is because of the bacteria breaking down those larger molecules and releasing the store nutrients into smaller, easily digestible particles. This means that each fermented carrot is going to be giving you way more nutrients, in a digestible form, than a regular carrot could even offer.
It’s A Safe Way To Preserve The Harvest!
Lactic acid is produced to help protect and multiply the good bacteria, and in the process brings death to any bad bacteria that could possibly be present, such a E. Coli or Salmonella. This method of preservation has been around for centuries and is heavily back by research and studies. In an ideal world, we would all have a nice cool storage place, such as a root cellar, to store our fermented foods in. This environment allows the ferment to go dormant instead of continuing to ferment. Even if you don’t have a root cellar, there is nothing wrong with filling your fridge with delicious ferments to preserve your harvest and add more flavor to your life!
How To Make Lacto-Fermented Carrots
After rinsing about a pound and a half of carrots, trim the ends and peel the skin off. Depending on the size jar you want to use, cut them down to size so the you will have about an inch of headspace. I also quartered the carrots, but you could even just halve, depending on your preference.
Next, in a large bowl, dissolve 2 teaspoons of non-iodized salt in 3 cups of filtered water. Make sure the salt is completely dissolved!
Load the carrot sticks into your jar as tightly as you can. This is done a bit easier if you lay the jar on its side and stick the sticks on top of each other. You could also add a little flavor extras to your jar, such as garlic (as I did), peppers and spices!
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Pour the salt brine over the top of the carrots, making sure that they are completely submerged in the brine. This is very important so that mold and nasty bacteria do not begin to form on the the exposed vegetables. If your brine doesn’t cover the carrots completely, make a bit more and get them submerged. You could also use a fermentation weight, or a zip lock sealed with water, in order to help push the carrots down and submerged in the brine. If you packed them in tightly enough you shouldn’t have any floaters.
The jars need to be left at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. After 24 hours, check on your ferment to make sure the carrots are still completely submerged. You should start to see a few fermentation bubbles begin to form, this is a sign that it’s doing what it’s suppose to be doing! If these bubbles are present after 24 hours, place the jar in the door of the fridge and leave it be for 1 to 2 weeks. Check for taste preference and store in the fridge or root cellar for long term storage.
That’s it! Simple, delicious, and SO healthy!
Lacto-Fermented Carrot Sticks
Equipment
- 2 fermentation lids Or a good quality plastic lid
- 2 Fermentation weights optional
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs Carrots Peeled and cut
- 2 teas Salt non-iodized
- 3 c. Water Filtered
Instructions
- First begin by trimming and cutting your carrot sticks to length of the jar, leaving about 1/2 inch head space.
- Pack the carrot sticks into the jar as tightly as they will go.
- Dissolve the salt into the water and pour over carrots sticks.
- Ensure that the sticks are completely submerged or a fermentation weight is added.
- Secure the lid and allow to sit for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, if fermentation bubbles are present, transfer the jars into the door of the fridge to allow them to continue out the slow fermentation process.
- The carrot sticks will be ready to enjoy in 1-2 weeks. Keep in the coldest part of the fridge for long term storage.
