Carrots,
like most root vegetables, store for a long time in the refrigerator however
when you have a large home harvest (or get a great sale from the greengrocer/farm
stall) you may run out of refrigerator space! Pressure canning ensures safe storage
of carrots in your pantry for at least 12 months at room temperature, and they
are ready within minutes of opening. Serve pressure canned carrots hot with
roasted vegetables, mash them with butter and cream, or add them to your favourite
stew, soup or curry.
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Ingredients for PRESSURE CANNED CARROTS
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Yield: 1 litre
(1 quart)
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Yield: 4 1/2 litres
(9 pints)
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Yield: 7 litres
(7 quarts)
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Carrots,
Fresh
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1.1kg
(2 1/2 pounds)
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5kg
(11 pounds)
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7.8kg
(17 1/2 pounds)
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Non-Iodised
Salt*, Finely Ground (Optional)
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1 teaspoon
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4 1/2 teaspoons
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7 teaspoons
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Boiling
Water
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Varies
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Varies
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Varies
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*Recommended: replace salt with vegetable stock powder
(or chicken stock powder) mixed with boiling water, or liquid stock to replace
salt and water in this recipe.
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METHOD:
1. Sterilise all equipment by washing in hot
soapy water and rinsing well before use. 2. Weigh carrots to determine the batch yield.
3. Wash and peel carrots. Slice or dice as
desired.
4. Prepare jars by boiling in a pot of water for
10 minutes before use.
5. Soak seals in hot water (not on heat) for at
least 5 minutes before use.
6. Fill pressure canner base with 5cm (2 inches)
of water. Heat to a simmer.
7. HOT PACK: Gently simmer carrots for 5 minutes in
water or stock.
RAW PACK: Skip
this step.
8. HOT PACK: Pack hot jars with hot carrots to
2.5cm (1 inch) from the rim of each jar.
RAW PACK: Pack
hot jars with raw carrots to 2.5cm (1 inch) from the rim of each jar.
9. Add 1 teaspoon salt (optional) into each litre/quart
jar (1/2 teaspoon into each 500ml/pint jar). Don’t add any salt if you’re
using stock in the jars instead of water.
10. Add boiling water (or hot stock if using) into
each jar, filling to 2.5cm (1 inch) from the rim of each jar, ensuring all carrots
are covered in the fresh boiling water.
11. Using a
non-metal utensil, remove any bubbles and add extra boiling water if required.
12. Wipe
rims to remove any food residue.
13. Add
warm seals and secure bands (finger-tip tight).
14. Place
sealed jars into the pressure canner and secure the pressure canner lid. Put
onto heat and vent for 5 minutes (begin timing once the white steam is a
constant stream). Then add weights (or cover) and bring to the required
pressure level for your altitude. Once the pressure is reached, process for the
time stated below for your altitude. Reduce/increase the heat source to keep
the pressure at the constant level.
15. Turn
off the heat source once the time is up. Allow the pressure canner to return to
zero and then remove the lid (be careful, lid and canner will be very hot).
Remove jars from the pressure canner after 5 more minutes. Cool jars overnight
on a wood or fabric surface. Do not adjust lids during this time.
16. The
next day, check jars have sealed before labelling and dating.
17. Store
jars of pressure canned carrots in a cool, dark and dry place for up to 12
months.
18.
SERVING: Serve pressure canned carrots hot.
You can use
the stock liquid to reheat the carrots in a pan (or open jar and add in the last
10 minutes of cooking your favourite stew, soup or curry).
Or drain plain
water from the jar then heat pressure canned carrots in a pan on medium-low for
5-10 minutes.
A third
option is to add the drained carrots to the last 10 minutes of roasting vegetables
in the oven.
Carrots are
also delicious added to a pumpkin/sweet potato mash with butter, milk
(or cream), salt and pepper;
19.
Refrigerate opened jars and consume contents within 2-3 days, serving hot.
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Processing Time for CARROTS in a Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner
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Jar Size
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Processing Time
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude ≤ 1,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude ≥ 1,000 feet
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Hot and Raw Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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25 minutes
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10 PSI
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15 PSI
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≤ 1 Litre
(quarts)
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30 minutes
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10 PSI
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15 PSI
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Processing Time for CARROTS in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner
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Jar Size
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Processing Time |
Canner Pressure
at Altitude
≤ 2,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
2,001 - 4,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
4,001 - 6,000 feet
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Canner Pressure
at Altitude
6,001 - 8,000 feet
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Hot and Raw Pack
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≤ 500ml
(pints)
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25 minutes |
11 PSI
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12 PSI
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13 PSI
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14 PSI
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≤ 1 Litre
(quarts)
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30 minutes |
11 PSI
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12 PSI
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13 PSI
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14 PSI
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NOTES:
o Choose thin carrots (3-4cm / 1- 1 1/2 inches thick) as
thicker carrots can be too fibrous;
o Don’t
forget to taste the carrots before preparing them! Good tasting carrots make tasty
jars of pressure canned carrots;
o
Salt is optional in this recipe, but is recommended for flavour if pressure
canning in water;
o You
can use vegetable or chicken stock in this recipe – homemade or powdered stock
powder mixed into boiling water is also suitable;
o
Do not add any other ingredients to this recipe;
o Do
not thicken/puree this recipe before pressure canning (it can be thickened or
pureed once you open a jar to serve it);
o Do
not add cream, flour, milk, noodles, pasta, rice or other thickeners to this
recipe (they are not added to any recipe for pressure canning).
Author:
Megan Radaich
Image Credit: Megan Radaich
Publication: Introduction
to Pressure Canning Guide, available HERE