Preserving Food: Carrots

Orange, yellow, red and purple heirloom carrot slices

There are three ways to preserve carrots.

1.      Freezing (Remove greens, wash, cut, blanch, freeze)

2.      Storing (In sand or mulch)

3.      Canning (Below)

We can most of our carrots. If we have a bumper crop, I’ll freeze a few bags of carrots cut around 6” in length. Blanch carrots (put in boiling water) for 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water, then freeze in freezer bags or freezer containers.

Because our basement is a little too humid to store carrots through winter, we don’t use this option.

Canning-

Remove greens (I place the carrots on newspaper for a few hours to dry after pulling them from the garden)

Wash and remove any bad spots

Cut into slices or cubes

Sanitize jars

Fill jars with carrot pieces leaving 1” headspace

Cover carrots with boiling water still leaving 1” headspace

Clean jar rims and set lids on jars, screw on bands without making the bands tight

Pressure cook at 11psi (check USDA guidelines for high altitude canning) for 25 minutes for pints, 30 minutes for quarts. Remove canner lid once ALL pressure is gone. Remove jars once they are completely cooled. Check to insure lids are sealed, tighten bands, label with date and store in a dark, cool area.

Per the USDA, canned carrots are good for 3-5 years if properly stored.

Audrey L Elder

Fourteen Acre Wood