You are 2 household ingredients away from a jar of fermented carrots teeming with gut nourishing probiotics, enzymes, and B vitamins!

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented VegetablesProduct links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

Simplicity.

Last week I asked my Instagram and Facebook audiences what they wanted to see more of in the next year and what I heard loud and clear was that many of you wanted to see more of the simple, nourishing staples from our home, and the “why” behind them.

Easy to fix, easy to find ingredients, and food that normal, everyday people have time to make.

I couldn’t be more overjoyed at your request to add more traditional, real food staples to my writing!

Because truthfully, while fancy brunches and fun treats are great, nourishing everyday meals, nutrient dense breakfasts, and staples like these fermented carrots are really where it’s at! This is where we get down to the nitty gritty, nutrient packed foods that are going to make a real difference in your family’s health.

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented VegetablesThe status of your gut determines just about everything…

At this point most people know that just about everything in the body relies on the status of your gut health. And that the status of your gut health is tied to the type of flora (bacteria) dominating the territory.

If the good bacteria reigns “king,” digestion is sound, the immune system works more effectively, and the brain is clear.

When the bad bacteria is more prevalent, digestion is disrupted in a myriad of different ways (YES we should be pooping daily – if you are not you are constipated. NO your poop shouldn’t be runny, it shouldn’t hurt to poop, and indigestion, heartburn, and tummy aches are not normal!), the immune system is completely off (ie getting sick often, autoimmune disease, cancer, etc), and the brain is a foggy mess (the gut-brain connection is tied to many brain/neurological disorders from depression and Alzheimer’s to ADHD, autism, and everything in between.)

Infiltrate and populate!

Traditionally fermented foods provide easy to absorb probiotics to our guts to use for battle every day. Whether you are generally healthy or have a few health issues, fermented vegetables such as these fermented carrots can populate your gut with the bacteria it needs to sustain a robust immune system, healthy digestive system, and sound mind.

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented VegetablesProbiotic powerhouse without the fuss!

I know, I know…first it’s bone broth, now it’s “get the ferments in!” You’re thinking you are going to be in the kitchen all day! Not in the least! I, for one, don’t have the time to be in the kitchen all day.

A little salt water, a jar, and some chopped carrots is all you need to get your ferment going, and it truly is one of the least hands on activities going on in my kitchen. The process of the natural bacteria feeding on the sugar and starches in the carrots not only creates a variety of strains of beneficial flora for the gut, it also produces beneficial digestive enzymes and B vitamins. It is truly amazing!

That sounds great, but how in the world am I supposed to get my kids to eat this?!

If you have super little kids – as in ages 6 months to 2 years old, this is where it’s at! Get those palates used to ferments and soured foods as soon as you can! I was always so surprised at how easily my babies took to sour plain yogurt, sauerkraut, and shredded fermented carrots. You can even give the little ones a half teaspoon or so of the fermenting liquid from the jar which is loaded with probiotic goodness!

If you have older kids, I have a couple suggestions. First, don’t make a big deal out of it. Don’t tell them “I’m not sure that you are going to like this but let’s try it”. If they already eat carrot sticks and dip, serve it to them with homemade Ranch – it is delicious! Any age above 2 or 3 years old is also a great time to explain the “why” behind healthy food. Tell those toddlers and younger school aged kids that fermented carrots puts the “good guys” into their tummy to fight off the bad guys! Pull out an anatomy book for those older school aged kids and teens and show them the why. Give them examples of what goes on if the good bacteria isn’t winning the battle.

(I also would recommend halving or leaving out the garlic if you think that might deter the kids. My kids looove garlic and I think the garlic gives an even sweeter flavor to the finished product but you can leave it out and they are a yummy salty/sweet carrot stick to dip in Ranch!)

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented VegetablesTips for prepping the carrots for babies, toddlers, and big kids

Cut your carrots depending on what texture the kids will like better and what you are using it for. Sticks work best for lunch packing, and shredded works well for sandwiches and salads. Shredded also works best for older babies/toddlers that can’t chew thicker cut sticks. I tend to make sticks so they are ready for lunchboxes, and then just chop them up for salads or wraps. When I had babies in the house, I always had a jar of the shredded fermented veggies on hand for them.

If the taste is overwhelming to your kids at first, try chopping them up small into a salad, sandwich, or wrap. My kids love shredded chicken wraps with fermented veggies. You can make this 5 minute mayo that has a sweeter taste and top the sandwich with sweet tomato slices or even shredded apples to sweeten the deal a little.

Dips!

Listen, so long as it’s sans the store bought junky oil dressings, I say let them dip whatever they want if it is getting it into them! My kids prefer homemade Ranch, though right now my toddler is in a raw honey kick and I’m totally cool with that. Other options might be guacamole or hummus!

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented VegetablesHow do I begin eating fermented vegetables if I have never tried them before?

Fermented vegetables are teeming with good bacteria, and, especially for those with sensitive tummies, food allergies, or digestive disorders, fermented vegetables make the entire eating process easier on the gut by acting as a digestive aide! Eating even a tablespoon or so of ferment with each meal will aide in digesting your food as well as provide stability to your immune system and brain health.

Start with 1 tablespoon or so per day to begin with to allow the friendly bacteria to make their home in your gut. Starting out with too much all at once can lead to tummy upset as the good bacteria takes over the bad. Increase to 1 tablespoon 3x per day as you feel comfortable. Once your body is used to the ferments, you can eat as much as you like and tolerate. My school aged girls eat up to 1/4 cup or more at a time.

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented VegetablesFermenting tools

While you can definitely get your ferments going today with just glass jar and a plastic lid (metal lids will corrode over time so plastic is recommended), as you get going you may want to take a look at fermenting tools that make the process even easier and stress free.

Vegetable ferments do best in an anaerobic environment (that is, “no oxygen” using an air tight seal). Plastic lids work fine, though some air does get through, and as the gasses build up in the ferment you need to “release” them by opening the lid here and there. The air that gets through also makes it easier for stray airborne microbes and molds to get in which can make the whole jar go bad.

There are a couple of sealing options you can choose from, and I really have found these to give the best fermenting results. The one that I use is the first recommendation, the Pickle Pipe.

    • The Pickle Pipe :: I am convinced a busy, “every day” mom invented this fermenting tool! Talk about zero fuss, *easy to clean,* and affordable! The Pickle Pipe creates a seal with a simple (easy to wash!) silicone disk, and the metal ring your jar comes with. The “pipe” part of the silicone disk has a special opening that only pressures open when the gasses build up in the jar and need to be released. So basically…set it and forget it! You don’t have to check for pressure everyday at all. I also am in love with their Pickle Pebbles which weight down the ferment at the top so you don’t have to worry about molding or the tips of the veggies going bad from being out of the brine. Invaluable! I have never had a ferment go bad or mold using my Pickle Pipes and Pebbles.
    • Fido Jar :: Fido jars create an incredible anaerobic sealed environment and are super easy to clean and take care of. No crazy parts to clean, and they are beautiful lined up in the kitchen to ferment! You will need to “burp” these every day or so to let the gasses out but they work very well! They are pricier than mason jars (especially if you already have a lot of mason jars at home, and can just get some Pickle Pipes to top them off), but they will last forever and, again, they are beautiful!
    • Traditional Fermentation Crock :: I have to be honest…I love these! I really do! They are on my foodie dream list and when I can afford a really beautiful new fermenting crock I really, really want one for my kitchen! They are gorgeous, easy to clean and work fantastic. They come with a weight to keep the veggies down to prevent molding and they create a perfect anaerobic environment.
    • Air-Lock Lids :: These are a really great, inexpensive option – especially if you already have a lot of mason jars at home. I think the Pickle Pipes are easier to clean and use, but if you have some of these lying around don’t let them go to waste – they work great!

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!} & The Benefits of Fermented Vegetables

Fermented Carrots {that kids will actually eat!}

Renee - www.raisinggenerationnourished.com
You are 2 household ingredients away from a jar of fermented carrots teeming with gut nourishing probiotics, enzymes, and B vitamins!
5 from 12 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Ferment 1 day
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Condiment
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pint warm water
  • 3-4 tsp sea salt
  • 4 medium/large carrots peeled, and sliced into sticks, or into "coins," or strips/shredded (see notes above for help choosing the size that will work best for you)
  • 1 clove of garlic smashed (Optional. If you have other household favorite herbs go for it! Many people like to use dill for fermented carrots - I love those too. Garlic happens to be our favorite!)

Instructions
 

  • Make the brine. Stir the sea salt into the warm water until it dissolves. You will need most of this brine but will have a little bit left over - you can store the remaining brine in the fridge, or use it for another batch.
  • Put the carrots into a clean pint jar, packing them in as tight as you can, leaving about 1 inch of head-space at the top.
  • Pour the warm salt water brine over the carrots to cover them completely. Put your fermenting weight on top of the carrots/brine if you are using one, and wipe the rim of the jar clean.
  • Close up your jar (Put on your Pickle Pipe, or close the lid of your Fido Jar, or lid and use your Air-Lock. A simple plastic lid can work for your first time until you get the hang of things and want to invest in something to make your fermenting process easier.).
  • Set the jar at room temperature for 2 days up to 2-3 weeks depending on the taste you are going for. The longer it sits, the more flavor will develop. You can open and taste along the way until you are satisfied. I ferment mine for about a week, and that is the taste my kids enjoy best. Keep in mind that if you live in a warmer climate, you may not need as much time to ferment. 
Keyword fermented carrots, how to ferment carrots, pickled carrots
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tips on recipe size

This recipe makes 1 pint of fermented carrots. It is a great amount to get started on. I typically double this recipe into 2 pint jars (you could double into a quart jar, but I like to use the 2 smaller jars so my kids can get it out of the fridge to help themselves). For a doubled recipe, I use 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of sea salt into a quart of warm water to make the brine to divide up into the 2 pint jars.

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163 Comments

    1. Hi Natashia! You can use whey to ferment the carrots for sure! I doubt it will go any faster, but I could be wrong on that – I have done whey before with other veggies and felt the ferment time was about the same as just the salt. I hope that helps!

      1. Wonderful recipe! I caution against cutting the carrots into coins for fear of choking on them. As an Emergency Medical Technician, I worry about coin sized anything and toddlers. Stick to sticks! (Pun intended)!

    2. Hi Natashia,

      Would you happen to know if I could use the homemade probiotic water, also call rejuvelac to help the fermenting process. Thanks!

  1. I usually shred my carrots when i ferment them. I’m going to try it your way. My kids like the 2 days shorter ferment as well. Thanks for sharing!

  2. I’ve never done this before and would like to try. One question – when you fill up the jar, do you leave any air at the top beween the brine and the lid? Or should it be so filled it touches the lid? Thanks!

    1. Hi Kris! Leave about an inch of headspace. You want the carrots completely submerged in the brine so just make sure they are cut to accommodate that. I love using the weights (Pickle Pebbles linked above) to keep everything under the brine. I hope that helps!

  3. Absolutely love this recipe, taking it back to basics. Fermented carrots are so much easier to introduce to fermented food newbies too, so I’d love to spread this dish to the mums and dads who want more gut-friendly foods that are also kid-friendly. And I think I’ll make a batch too 😉

          1. Hi Renee! Do you take out the pickle pipe when you store in the fridge and replace it with a normal lid? Or keep the pickle pipe on?

  4. 5 stars
    I love this! So many great ideas to the kids (or myself, lol) to eat more veggies. These fermented carrots I’m sure I could eat right out of the jar, but love the ranch and hummus dipping options. Even my hubby might enjoy that.

  5. Wow, cool! I can’t say I’ve actually ever fermented anything without a starter so this looks much easier and just as delicious and healthy! I will definitely try it since my family goes nuts over fermented foods!

  6. Have you ever considered using an airlock like what they use for wine or vinegars? All you need to do is drill a hole in a lid and shove it in with the cork. It self burps if you make sure the water level in the airlock is good. You can also make an airlock with a small tube put into a small cup with the hose sumegged in water. It will burp this way too but your wate also evaporates with out a lid on it.

  7. I’ve made sauerkraut once, but I don’t like cabbage so I didn’t eat any of it. I love this idea and I think they would be delicious! Thank you for all the tips on lids and size of carrot depending on the age of the children. All so helpful 🙂

  8. Hey, Renee! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I plan to start a couple jars today, but have two questions:

    1. I want to use these, as I already have them on-hand. Any reason they won’t work?

    http://www.target.com/p/ball-set-of-8-wide-mouth-plastic-storage-caps/-/A-15134722?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Kitchen+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Kitchen&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=1026339&gclid=CjwKEAiAtefDBRDTnbDnvM735xISJABlvGOvOLxksWNHZixVvSNYfT8Hf_gm3mryvvm1wIoIN5YBtRoCwMbw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

    2. With the plastic lids, how often do I need to release the gases? I will probably ferment my jars for two days.

    Thanks!

    Lori

    1. Hi Lori! That link pulls up a page that says not available – I’m not sure what it is so you can try sending the link again or describe it to me and I would be happy to help! And for the plastic lids on a jar for fermenting you probably don’t really need to release the gasses for a 2 day ferment – you should be fine. The plastic lids sometimes take a bit longer to ferment however so you might check them at the 2 day mark and see how they taste to you – I find the air tight tools make the ferment go faster. The plastic lids work just fine in the mean time though!

  9. I just found out I am allergic to brewers yeast and bakers yeast. Can I eat this?? I love fermented food but i am afraid.
    I found out about my alleergies after having hives right now i am taking enzymes and probiotics because i have a low inflamation and a low infection on my gut . So working on healing my gut i know fermemted is great for that but i am afraid because of the yeast. Sorry if i sound ignorant but i dont have a clue.
    Hope you can guide me.
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Susana! That is such an important question, and I am so glad you asked! It definitely sounds like you have some histamine reaction issues going on, which, for some, makes ingesting fermented foods difficult. You might try to make a small batch and just take a teaspoon or so of the brine or carrot and see what your body does. Histamine sensitivity is very common while some are healing their guts (I, myself, went through about 6 months of needing to avoid histamine producing foods such as ferments). On the flip side, some tolerate them just fine – it is very individual. This is a pretty inexpensive set up compared to buying a whole jar of ferment from the store – just carrots and sea salt – so if it doesn’t work out it won’t be too much of a waste (just use regular tops versus investing in the fermenting tops for now just to see how you do). I hope that helps a bit! It sounds like a pain to do all the avoiding now, but trust me, it is so worth it!

    1. Hi Sylvia! If foods containing histamine affect your blood pressure, then I would say no, it is not safe to consume. Fermented foods are very individual however. You could try a small batch and just eat a teaspoon or so at a time and see how you feel. If you already consume things like yogurt or kefir which are fermented, and know they affect you then I would say no to this – you can look up “histamine foods” on the Google and see a list of foods that have histamines. I hope that helps!

  10. I have been wanting to try my own ferments for a while now. I have had the pebbles sitting in my amazon cart for at least a year 🙄. This looks soooo easy that you gave me the courage to finally purchase them and give it a go. We love fermented foods and it will be so much cheaper to make them my self. Thanks again!

  11. I’m confused about ow all this fits in a jar: pint of water + carrots added to a pint jar. How does it not overflow (especially when you want to leave 1 inch at top of jar)

    1. Hi Jean! Correct! As stated in the instructions, there will be some brine left – I just make the brine in a pint jar to get the right salt to water ratio. You can use the leftover brine for another jar – it keeps well for weeks.

  12. Thank so for this, made these a couple days ago and was wondering how to store! My 13 mo is loving them so far! He’s loved his plain Greek yogurt every morning and was eating some pickled onions off my plate, so I thought I’d give these a try. Glad I did! Love your website and your IG stories- so helpful!

  13. This is fantastic, and I can t wait to get started. I have a question however. O e of my children has an allergy to sea salt, can this be substituted for rock salt or kosher? Thanks so much for posting this recipe!

  14. What do you think about using carrot pulp from the juicer to make fermented carrot relish? I just got my juicer and I’m looking for ways to use all of my organic produce investment!

    1. Hi Cinda! That is a great question! While I have never tried it myself I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I shred carrots for fermenting for my babies so the pulp should ferment I would imagine. I’m not sure what the texture would be like, but it would be worth trying a small jar to see how it goes!

  15. Hi, I have a possibly dumb question. Is fermenting the same as canning as far as there is a risk of botulism? I’ve always wanted to try pickling/fermenting and this recipe looks awesome but I’m scared of possible botulism. I just ordered the pickle pipes to get started with my mason jars, is a fermenting weight necessary too? I wanna keep it low cost to get started. Thank you so much!

    1. Hi Kylie! No, typically molding of the veggies/brine is usually the issue with fermenting, but with the proper tools and keeping the jar clean, I literally never have had mold with using the pickle pipe system. I hope that helps!

    1. Hi Kris! Yes most veggies will ferment well with this method. The exception being sauerkraut and kimchi which use cabbage and you create the brine from the actual juices of the veg for those – there is a recipe for sauerkraut on the blog as well if you use the search bar!

  16. Do you need to boil the water and let it cool to “warm” or can you just use the warm water comes out of the tap? Thanks!

    1. Hi Cameron! I would recommend warmed up filtered water before tap water so there isn’t anything that will harm the ferment, but if tap is all you have, YES you can just use warm water from the tap! You don’t need to bring the water to a full boil if you are warming it up stovetop – I just simply warm it to touch so the salt dissolves. Hope that helps!

  17. I’ve been wanting to try fermenting, but I am so paranoid about food spoiling when left out at room temperature. So, I have a few questions. 1. How do you know if it’s gone bad? 2. Is it safe to ferment veggies in the middle of hot summertime in Texas? 3. How much fermented food should one eat for proper gut health, and does it matter which veggies? 4. If you eat fermented foods, should you still take a probiotic?

    1. Hi Lynnette!
      1) If you see fuzzy mold at the top, it has gone bad. The mold will only be at the top. I have found with the Pickle Pipes I literally never get mold. I used to occasionally just using a regular lid.
      2) Yes you can ferment in very warm/hot temps. The ferment time will be faster so check daily.
      3) That depends on the person. If you have never eaten ferments before start out with a TB per day and work up. Many adults can eat up to a quarter of a cup or so multiple times per day. My kids can eat Tablespoons at a time multiple times per day.
      4) That depends on the person as well. Depends on your gut health status. In the GAPS diet for gut healing, for people that have compromised gut health they recommend the veggie ferments as well as a quality probiotic. We eat ferments almost daily in our house and still take probiotics too. There are different strains.

  18. So when you say to take 1 tbs a day. Do you mean to drink the water from the fermentation? Is that the same amount for children and adults alike? And how long does it take for the veggies to ferment?

    1. Hi Nayeli! 1 tbs of the kraut itself and/or the juice to start out. That would be for adults – if the kids are not real used to probiotics or ferments you can do a couple teaspoons just to be sure. The veggies will take anywhere from a few days to a week or so – you can taste along the way to see what your flavor preference is.

  19. Renee, thanks for this recipe. I have done most veggies and have never had mold. I use the Perfect Pickler system. If you don’t want to invest a lot of money, and need a weight, a small pimento jar works great. Also would like to add, if you grow your own Mung bean sprouts, they are great fermented. I use a recipe similar to this one and ferment for 2 to 3 days. Will be following you.

  20. 5 stars
    Your pictures are so great! I love that you give such a graphical representation of the whole process – it helps out visual learners like myself who like to see what they are supposed to be doing before they do it. Thank you for this great recipe! The next time I go to jump into the deep end of fermentation you better believe I’ll give this one a try!

  21. Hi Renee,

    I’m very new to fermenting. I made a jar of these carrots in February and they unfortunately got pushed to the back of the fridge, so I forgot about them. I’m worried to try them now as some of the carrots seem to have a white film on the top. I’m not sure if this is the salt crashing out, or something yucky growing on them. Has this happened to anything you fermented in this way? Also, do you recommend leaving the weight in the jar and the pickle pipe on top, or sealing with a normal mason/ball jar lid?

    Thanks for the help!
    Kat

  22. This may have already been asked and I missed it, but do you store the finished product in the fridge or not and how long does it keep?

  23. Hi! After fermenting them for a couple of days how long do they stay in the fridge? Going to try this for my 14 month old. He loves bubbies sauerkraut so I think he’ll like this too!

  24. 5 stars
    Hi Renee,

    I love this recipe you posted here, Fermented Carrots. I would also love to feature it in our website Greenthickies. Would it be all right if I used one of your images for it? I will not be posting the actual recipe, but only one image, title and a small quote. Would it be okay?

    Thanks a lot 🙂

  25. Hello☺ The only reason I can’t try this is the part on refrigeration. Electricity is not regular where I live , to risk this. However, I would like to know the purpose for refrigeration and if there are other effective ways to preserve it, for a week a least? What is brine? Can one use a small tumbler for glass fermentation weight? Thanks for sharing.🌱

    1. Yes, for sure – a small tumbler glass to weight it down will work! You can can the veggies after they ferment if you have those tools, otherwise, yes, they need to be refrigerated after fermenting.

  26. I fermented carrots for 4 days. Looked good and smelled good but the brine had thickened. Is this normal. I was afraid to eat them. Guess I need to know more about fermentation.

    1. Hi Pat! The liquid will be a little “viscous” but shouldn’t be “thick”. If you smell it and it smells off or moldy or you see fuzzy green or black, it has gone bad. That is hard to do in just 4 days, but if the jar had a spot with bacteria etc on it, it can happen. I hope that helps!

  27. I have some organic baby carrots (the kind that are already peeled), would those be ok to cut up and use for this recipe? Also, I have been avoiding carrots as am trying to heal from candida, but am wondering if fermenting them would make them any better for the gut? I really love saurkraut so want to try these. Thoughts?

    1. Hi Robin! Yes baby carrots should work fine. I would assume you are avoiding carrots due to the starch for healing candida – the carrots will still have starch, but I wouldn’t hesitate eating a few of these for sure. The beneficial bacteria will be so good for your healing digestion 🙂

      1. So I fermented my baby carrots, which I cut into thin sticks, for 4 days then put them in the fridge for a day before I tasted them. I tried them today and they just tasted like salty carrots, they didn’t really have much of a tang. I want to ferment them longer and am wondering if I put them back on the counter and put the pickle pipe back in, will it go back to fermenting some more or is this batch done since it has been refrigerated?

        1. Hi Robin! Yes you can pull them out and ferment them longer. Next time, you can taste them before refrigerating! Sometimes it is just cool enough to need longer time to get tangy to your taste.

          1. 5 stars
            Just wondering if carrots need to be peeled, I have quite a few small finger sized carrots from the garden that I will scrub and crop, will the residue on them cause the ferment to go bad? Thanks

  28. 5 stars
    Hi! I looked for the “where to buy” section for the silicone tops etc but couldn’t find it. Duh right?

    Also, I have just started fermenting and worry about all the salt. I have only done tomatoes so far.

    Thanks for the recipes!

    1. Hi Sandra! The salty brine will erode your metal canning lids so do not use those. You can use a plastic lid for canning jars, just remember to “burp” the lids every day or so to let the gasses out.

  29. Hello! Thank you for this recipe. I am super interested in fermenting foods for my two and three year old. I recently read an article about alcohol in fermented foods. Maybe this is a silly question, but are fermented fruits and vegetables safe for kids? I really want to try this, but that article made me nervous! I’m assuming the amount in fermented veggies is so minute that it would be safe.

    1. Hi Kristina! There is very minimal alchol in fermented veggies – well below 1%. For those that have sensitivities to alcohol or yeast or histamines, fermented foods will be difficult to digest. Most, however do just fine! Start out with a small amount, and see how the kiddos do 🙂 My girls loved fermented veg from very young! The GAPS diet protocol for gut healing uses fermented cabbage (sauerkraut) for gut healing – it is very healing!

  30. I am excited to try this recipe! As a heads up: you don’t need to burp fido jars. I’ve been using fido jars for years, and I never burp them. In fact, opening them undermines the entire magic of the bail-style lid–the seal is created to let CO2 out without letting any surrounding air in, so by opening them, you are introducing air that will cause mold growth. It’s the same theory as the Pickle Pig.

    Thanks for this recipe. I’ll be trying it this weekend, I think!

  31. Hi there, I’ve been making a refrigerator pickled carrot recipe that includes apple cider vinegar… is that the same concept, in regards to giving benefits of fermented food/probiotics?

    1. Hi Amanda! Vinegar makes a tasty, quick pickled veg, but it doesn’t allow the beneficial bacteria to grow if that is what you are looking to do. Sometimes I’ll make a quick refrigerater pickle with vinegar if I’m short on time and need something that day, but most of the time I just pickle in salt water so the veggies can sit out at room temp and grow the good bacteria. The salt in the brine keeps the bad bacteria from growing. Vinegar keeps any bacteria from growing – good and bad.

  32. Just tried the recipe after 10 days fermenting and they don’t taste sour, just salty carrots, have I done something wrong, or could they still have fermented properly? I don’t know what I was expecting.

  33. When I make kombucha or sauerkraut, I use a coffee filter instead of a lid. I assumed this would work for carrots too, but now I’m not so sure. I started a batch tonight, but only have a metal lid on hand. Will my coffee filter lid I use for those other ferments not work? 🤔🤔

    1. Hi Tiffany! It should work! It might take a bit longer – I always found the fermenting lids work better for these kind of ferments that don’t need to breathe like a kombucha.

  34. Hi Renee! We love these carrots! My two year old gobbled up almost half a jar before dinner tonight. 😂 I have a jar of the “brine” sitting in our fridge from when we finished off a batch of these carrots, and wondering if I can reuse the same water to ferment another batch of carrots? Thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Rachel! I’m so glad to hear that! I would make another fresh batch – you can use the leftover brine in homemade dressings, or take it off the spoon – it is still loaded with probiotics 🙂

  35. I’ve made plenty of lacto-fermented cucumber pickles, but never carrots. Yum! Also, as another busy mom, the pickle pipes sound like a lifesaver. I’ve ordered some. Thanks!

  36. Thank you for sharing, this is our new favorite fermented veggie recipe! Is there any reason why I couldn’t use organic baby carrots?

    1. Hi Bethany! I think that would be fine – I have read the articles about how baby carrots are possibly bleached/cleaned with harsh cleaners, so keep that in mind. If that is the case, the cleaners in the carrots will kill off some of the bacterias and it may not ferment correctly.

  37. Can I used dried garlic powder instead of a garlic clove in the brine? My son loves the flavor of garlic but if he sees a clove in the jar he will be put off lol

  38. What if i put just a little bit salt because i dont want to salty, will this affect the fermentation? Thank you

    1. Yes – the salt serves a purpose and it will not be as salty as time passes. The salt ensures that the bad bacteria stays at bay while the good bacteria proliferates.

  39. Hi Renee,
    Thank you for this beautiful recipe. I am new to fermenting so I’m looking forward to trying this. I was wondering if using a metal (stainless steel) spring weight has an hazardous health effects? As in metals leaching into the brine? I’m especially wondering this as I assume the brine is quite an acidic solution that could do this? These are the Ball metal fermentation springs and lids I bought. Do you have any insights? Thank you!

    https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Fermentation-Lids-Springs-Metal/dp/B084CZ7FHM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=ball+fermentation+lids+and+springs&qid=1629169987&sprefix=ball+ferm&sr=8-3

    1. Hi Cassidy! Wow I have never seen these before! I have always been taught that metal disrupts the bacteria colonies and growth, so I would be hesitant to use this. I have even been taught not to use metal utensils when preparing the ferments! I always use wooden spoons. This is interesting!

  40. Also! Do you need to place the jar in a dark cupboard or can it sit in plain daylight on your kitchen counter while it ferments?

  41. Hi Rene! I loved the recipe and have tried it right away!
    Since i‘m quite new to this I’m not sure if I’ve done it right. The liquid is no longer clear. It became bubbly and a bit „milky“ just two days after making it. Is it still good?
    Did

  42. Super simple way to ferment carrots. So delicious! Thanks for your questions! It helped me with my own question of how to store!

  43. I made these this week, once they reach the taste we prefer should I refrigerate them? Or how are they best stored?

  44. Hello! Thanks for the recipe!
    I checked my carrots on day two and they are slimy feeling. Is this reason to toss and start again? I’m using a glass mason jar with the silicone pickle top and a glass pebble weight inside. Thank you!!

    1. Hi Katie! As long as there is no fuzzy stuff at the top and the smell isn’t off, they are fine. There is a cloudy white film that develops called the kahm yeast and it is harmless!

  45. As an experiment, I used a bag of matchstick carrots. It filled a quart jar so I doubled the brine recipe and used two garlic cloves. Used a glass weight and burping lid. Has anyone used the matchsticks successfully?