Home-Canned Carrots - Made Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs (2024)

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Home-Canned Carrots - Made Easily! With Step-by-step Photos, Recipe, Directions, Ingredients and Costs

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Canningyour own carrots is easy! The only trick is, you really do need a pressurecanner. Every university food science department and the government will tellyou that it just is not safe to use the water bath method; it takes thehigher temperatures of the pressure canner to kill the botulism bacteria.

BUT,with a Pressure Canner it's easy. And although a Pressure Canner costs$100 to $200 (see this page for pressure canners models, makes and prices),they last a lifetime, and your children and grandchildren may be using it.You can also find free information from the USDA in this PDF file (it willtake a while to load!) aboutselecting and using canners here!

So, here's how to can carrots! The directions are complete withinstructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. In the winter when youopen a jar, the carrots will taste MUCH better than any store-bought cannedcarrots.

Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of about 12 months, and asidefrom storing in a cool, dark place, require no special attention.If you'd rather freeze your carrots, see my page onhow to freeze carrots. Eveneasier than canning and they will taste just like fresh.. but it does take upspace in the freezer.

Directions for Making Canned Carrots

Using the Hot Pack Method With a Pressure Canner

Ingredients

• Carrots(see step 1)
• Salt (optional - I don't use any)

Equipment

• Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars)
• Jar funnel ($4 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores,but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)
• At least 1 large pot
• Large spoons and ladles,
• Canning jars (often called Ball jars, Mason jars or Kerr jars) (Publix, Kroger, other grocery stores and some "big box"stores carry them - now about $12 per dozen quart jars (up 50% in 2 years!) including the lids andrings)
• 1 Pressure Canner (a large pressure pot with a lifting rack tosanitize the jars after filling (about $75 to $200 at mall kitchenstores and "big box" stores, but it is cheaper online; see this page for more information). For low acid foods (mostvegetables, you can't use an open water bath canner, it has to be apressure canner to get the high temperatures to kill the bacteria. Ifyou plan on canning every year, they're worth the investment.

Recipe and Directions

Step1 - Selecting the carrots

The most important step! You need carrots that are FRESH andcrisp. Limp, old carrots will make nasty tasting canned carrots.Guests will probably throw them at you.. Select filled but tender, firm,crisp carrots. Remove and discard any soft, diseased, or spotted carrots.Select small carrots, preferably 1 inch to 1 and 1/4-inch in diameter.Larger carrots are often too fibrous and tough.

How many carrots andwhere to get them

You can grow your own, pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store.An average of 17.5 pounds (without tops) is needed per canner load of 7quarts. An average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. Abushel (without the tops) weighs about 50 pounds and yields 17 to 25quarts jars; an average of 2.5 pounds per quart.

Step 2 - Prepare the jars and pressure canner

Wash the jars and lids

This is a good time to get the jarsready! The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a"sanitize" cycle. Otherwise put the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes.I just put the lids in a small pot of almost boiling water for 5 minutes,and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" (available from target, other bigbox stores, and often grocery stores; and available online - see thispage) to pull them out.

Get a large pot of water boiling

Wewill use this water to pour over the carrots and fill each jar withliquid, after we've packed them full of carrots. I use the largest pot Ihave, so that there is plenty of clean, boiling water ready when I needit.

Get the pressure canner heating up

Rinse out your pressure canner, put the rack plate in the bottom, andfill it to a depth of 4 inches with hot tap water.(of course, follow the instruction that came with the canner, if theyare different). Put it on the stove over low heat, with the lid OFF ofit, just to get it heating up for later on.

Step 3 -Wash the carrots!

I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the carrots inplain cold or lukewarm water.

Step 4 - Peel the carrots, trim the ends and cut into smaller pieces

A vegetable peeler works great! Then just take a sharp knife and cut ofboth ends (about 1/4 of an inch, or half the width of an average woman'slittle finger). Then cut them into pieces of the size you prefer;either crosswise 1/8 thick slices, or lengthwise.

Of course, if yourprefer Julianne cut carrots, you can cut the carrots lengthwise in thinstrips instead.

Step 5 - Cook the carrots for 5 minutes

Thisis called "hot packing" because we cook the carrots briefly beforepacking them into the jars. Cover the carrots with boiling water; bringto boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 6 - Pack the jars and pour boiling water into each packed jar

Fill jars, leaving 1-inch of headspace. Pack the jars fairly tightly,but be sure to leave 1 inch of space at the TOP of the jar. Thatis called "headspace" and is needed for expansion during heading.Use a ladle or pyrex measuring cup to carefully fill each packed jarwith water from pot of boiling water that they were cooked in. Thecarrots should be covered and there should still be 1 inch of airspaceleft in the top of each jar. Be careful not to burn yourself, (or anyoneelse - children should be kept back during this step!)

Step 7 - Put the lids and rings on

Put the lids on each jar and seal them by putting a ring on andscrewing it down snugly (but not with all your might, just "snug").

Step 8 - Put the jars in the canner and the lid on the canner (but stillvented)

Using the jar tongs, put the jars on the rack in the canner. Bynow the water level has probably boiled down to 3 inches. If it islower than that, add more hot tap water to the canner. When all the jarsthat the canner will hold are in, out on the lid and twist it intoplace, but leave the weight off (or valve open, if you have that type ofpressure canner).

Step 9 - Let the canner vent steam for 10 minutes

Put the heat on high and let the steam escape throughthe vent for 10 minutes to purge the airspace inside the canner.

Step10 - Put the weight on and let the pressure build

After10 minutes of venting, put the weight on and close any openings to allowthe pressure to build to 11 pounds.

Step 11 - Process for 25 minutes

Once the gauge hits 10 pounds, start your timer going - for 25 minutes.Adjust the heat, as needed, to maintain 10 pounds of pressure.

Note: the chart at right will help you determine the right processingtime and pressure, if you have a different type of canner, or are above sealevel.

It is important to learn how to operate your pressure canner by readingthe owner's manual that came with your particular canner. If you cannotfind your owner's manual, you can obtain find one online: Here is where tofind some common manufacturer's manuals:

• Presto canner manuals

or by contacting the company that made your canner. Give the model numberto the manufacturer, and they will send you the right manual. Click here formore information about pressurecanners and a variety of models you can order.

Step 12 - Turn off the heat and let it cool down

When the processing time from the chart above is up, turn off theheat, and allow the pressure canner to cool and the pressure to drop tozero before opening the canner. Let the jars cool without beingjostled. After the pressure drops to zero (usually, you can tell but the"click" sound of the safety release vents opening, as well as but thegauge. Let the pressure in the canner drop to zero by itself. Thismay take 45 minutes in a 16-quart canner filled with jars and almost anhour in a 22-quart canner. If the vent is opened before the pressuredrops to zero OR if the cooling is rushed by running cold water over thecanner, liquid will be lost from the jars. Too rapid cooling causes lossof liquid in the jars!

Step 13 - Remove the jars

Liftthe jars out of the water and let them cool on a wooden cutting board ora towel, without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place(usually takes overnight), here they won't be bumped. You can thenremove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosenthem quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture.Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifyingthat the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently,with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound),it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, youcan still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar,then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them(with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok. You're done

Other Equipment:

From left to right:

1. Jar lifting tongs
   helpful to pick up hot jars
2. Lid lifter
   - to remove lids from the pot
   of hot water
3. Lids
   - disposable - you may only
   use them once
4. Ring
   - holds the lids on the jar until after
   the jars cool - then you remove them, save them and reuse them
5. Canning Jar funnel
   - to fill the jars

"Pressure canning is the only safe method for home canningvegetables. Clostridium botulinum is the bacterium thatcauses botulism food poisoning in low-acid foods, such asvegetables. The bacterial spores are destroyed only when thevegetables are processed in a Pressure Canner at 240 degreesFahrenheit (F) for the correct amount of time.

Clostridium botulinum is the bacterium commonly foundin vegetables and meats. It is harmless until it finds itself ina moist, low-acid, oxygen-free environment or a partial vacuum.Under these conditions, the bacterium can grow and producetoxins dangerous to people and animals.

Do not process (low acid)vegetables using the boiling water bath because the botulinumbacteria can survive that method.

And ClemsonUniversity provides these questions and answers:

Can fruits and vegetables be canned without heating if aspirin isused? No. Aspirin should not be used in canning. It cannot berelied on to prevent spoilage or to give satisfactory products.Adequate heat treatment is the only safe procedure.

Is it safe to can carrots in a boiling water bath if vinegaris used? No. Recommended processing methods must be used toassure safety. Recommended processing times cannot be shortened ifvinegar is used in canning fresh vegetables. (This does not refer topickled vegetables.)

Salt and sugar are not preservatives for vegetables: they are added tostabilize and improve flavor, but will not prevent spoilage.

Salicylic acid is also NOT a preservative. TheUniversity of Illinois reports:

Using Aspirin for Canning

Several years ago, a recipe circulated using aspirin to acidifytomatoes and carrots for canning. Aspirin is not recommended forcanning. While it contains salicylic acid, it does not sufficientlyacidify tomatoes or carrots for safe hot water bath canning. Greencarrots are low acid foods and may only be processed safely in apressure canner. Lemon juice or vinegar is recommended to acidify tomatoproducts for safe water bath processing.

Think of it like smoking. We all know someone whosmoke their entire life and lived to be 90. But the cemeteries arefilled with the vast majority who didn't. You will hear people say "mygrandmother did it that way for 20 years". But of course, the peoplewho died from food poisoning aren't around and often didn't have descendantsto tell their tale...