How to Can Carrots.
If you haven’t pulled up your carrots from the garden yet, you might want to think about doing so soon.
With freezing temps on the horizon {we’ve already had 2 nights of freezing temps here in Maine} now is the perfect time to harvest those carrots and get them preserved for the winter months.
This year I we did 3 things to preserve our homegrown carrots:
- Dehydrated and stored them in airtight containers {to use in winter soups}.
- Roasted them with beets and tossed them in the freezer {to use as a quick side dish}.
- Pressure canned them {to use in baked goods and chicken/beef pot pies} carrot cake bars are one of my favorite fall/winter treats to make.
Growing your own food and preserving it for later use can be a HUGE money saver with a little bit of planning.
Besides all the money you can save, you get the satisfaction of not only knowing you have what it takes to produce food, but you get the joy of seeing it on the shelf all winter long as well.
Carrots are just about the easiest thing to can! Trust me, you can do it.
The method I use is below.
~Mavis
How to Can Carrots
Ingredients
2 to 3 pounds carrots per quart jar, sliced
Salt {optional}
Water
Instructions
Wash carrots under cold running water. Peel carrots. Slice or leave carrots whole.
Pack carrots tightly into hot canning jars, leaving 1 inch head-space.
Add ½ teaspoon canning salt for pints or 1 teaspoon canning salt for quarts, if desired.
Ladle boiling water over carrots, leaving 1 inch head-space.
Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the jar rims and threads clean if needed. If using traditional canning jars, cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands on.
If using Weck jars, carefully place the Weck rubber gasket on the lid of the jars. Place the lid on the jar and secure the lid with 3 evenly spaced Weck clamps.
Place jars on the rack in the pressure canner. Add 2 inches of simmering water to the canner.
Place the lid on the canner and turn to a locked position. Tighten side clamps. Adjust heat to medium high and vent steam for 10 minutes. Put the weighted gauge on the vent and bring the pressure in the canner to 10 pounds {PSI}.
Process pint jars for 25 minutes, quart jars for 30 minutes.
Turn off heat and let your canner cool to zero pressure.
After 10 minutes, carefully remove the lid of the canner and let the jars cool an additional 10 minutes before removing.
Cool jars for 12-24 hours. Remove rings or clamps. Check seals, and store jars in a cool dark place.
laura says
those weck jars are so cute i might learn to can just to have those jars on my shelf!!
Diana says
I made your carrot cake jam recipe this year and it is now a family favorite!
Mavis Butterfield says
The best jam ever!!! 🙂 I had some yesterday on my toast.
Jules says
Another idea…. shred the carrots, then freeze. Great for carrot bread, cake, muffins.
Tammy says
I haven’t ever canned carrots but that’s such a good idea!
This year, I grew carrots from a small packet of seeds I got for free from the library (our library has a seed library!) and I got THREE carrots. Hahaha. Certainly not enough to can, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.
S.Lynn says
I purchased a presto carrey canner and its been ideal when i’ve had 3-4 pint jars to pressure can or water bath. Ideal for small batches.
Emily says
I keep my carrots for months in Tupperware in the refrigerator. I remove the tops, give them a quick rinse and pop them in the containers for use all winter.