The Prayer Porch

Tag: canning

  • Pickled Carrots with Horseradish & Parsley 🥕

    Pickled Carrots with Horseradish & Parsley 🥕

    These quick pickled carrots are crunchy, tangy, and refreshing! Enjoy them as a snack or add them to a salad or appetizer board. They’re especially flavorful after at least three days in the fridge.

    🌿 Health Benefits

    • Gut health: The pickling process can support a healthy gut microbiome and aid digestion.
    • Nutritional value: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, fiber, and antioxidants.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 lbs organic carrots, peeled and sliced (1/4 inch)
    • 6 cups white vinegar
    • ¾ cup brown sugar
    • ⅛ cup kosher salt
    • 1 cup chopped organic parsley
    • ¼ prepared horseradish
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

    Directions:

    In a large pot, combine vinegar, brown sugar, and salt. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar and salt dissolve.

    Wash, peel and slice the carrots. Put the carrots in a glass bowl and pour the hot brine over the carrots. Let the carrots sit for 3 hours in this brine. After 3 hours, drain the brine into a glass container. You can use this brine a few times.

    Finely chop the parsley, and mix in the prepared horseradish and olive oil.
    Coat the carrots with this mixture and spoon carrots into jars.

    Seal the jars with lids and allow them to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Then refrigerate.

    Let the carrots sit for at least 3 days before enjoying for best flavor. They’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

    “In every jar of something pickled, there’s a little bit of summer held in brine.” 🥕

  • Classic Dill Pickles Recipe: Garden to Jar

    Classic Dill Pickles Recipe: Garden to Jar

    There’s something extra special about cooking with farm-fresh vegetables, especially when they’re gifted by a kind neighbor. Every summer, a brown paper bag appears on our porch, brimming with cucumbers fresh from the field. It’s a small act of kindness that carries big meaning. This simple canning recipe helps you savor those gifts a little longer. As always, you can share a jar in return!

    Ingredients:
    • 6 lbs of 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
    • ½ cup canning or pickling salt
    • 4 quarts water, divided
    • 1½ quarts 5% acidity white vinegar
    • ¼ cup cane sugar
    • 3 tablespoons whole pickling spice (wrapped in tied cheesecloth)
    • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds (per jar)
    • 2 heads fresh dill (per jar)
    • 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves per jar
    • 5 sterilized quart jars

    Instructions:
    Wash cucumbers and slice into chips, around ¼-inch thick. Dissolve the salt in 2 quarts of water and pour over the cucumbers. Let stand for 6 hours, then drain.

    In a large pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, and remaining 2 quarts of water. Add the tied pickling spices and bring to a boil.

    While the brine is boiling, fill each sterilized jar with sliced cucumbers. Add 2 teaspoons of mustard seed, 2 heads of dill, and 2 cloves of sliced garlic to each jar.

    Carefully pour the hot pickling solution into each jar, leaving ½-inch head space. This recipe should yield about 4–5 quarts, depending on cucumber thickness.

    Seal with lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes for shelf-stable storage. Alternatively, you can simply seal and refrigerate for enjoying right away.

    “Preserving food is like preserving memories — both are done with love, patience, and a good amount of dill.” 🌿💛

    “He fills your life with good things…”
    Psalm 103:5 (NLT)