Pickled Carrots and Parsnips

The harsh winters and short growing season in northern Europe has forced Scandinavian to explore multiple avenues of preserving food. Some of the most infamous are the fermented fish like Surströmming but we thought we’d try something a bit less daunting. Over the Christmas period over 250,000 tonnes of food are wasted in the UK each year, one way to try and limit this is through these same food preservation techniques, more specifically pickling! We used dill, garlic and black pepper to bring flavour to carrots and parsnips. It's so quick and easy to do and the veg can be used to bring a vinegary kick to any vegan recipes. If you have any leftover veg after Christmas this is a fantastic way to preserve it as well as bring in some traditional Scandinavian flavours. 

Inspired by a recipe by Anna Stockwell for epicurious.

Overview:

Ingredients:

• 2 Carrots
• 2 Parsnips
• Other root vegetables of your choice

Brine:

• 500ml vinegar
• 500ml hot water
• 250g pickling salt (can be substituted for sea salt)

Per Jar:

• ¼ tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 clove of garlic peeled and halved
• ½ tsp dill seeds

Utensils:

• 2 pint jars
• Funnel

Method

1. Peel the carrots and parsnips and cut them into sticks slightly shorter than the height of your jars. To make sure that the vegetables pickle evenly try to cut the vegetables to the same thickness.
2. Blanch the carrots and parsnips in a large pot of boiling water. Submerge the vegetables for 1-2 minutes then transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
3. To make the brine combine the vinegar, hot water and salt in a pan. Bring to a boil until the salt has dissolved. Add the garlic, peppercorns and dill seeds to the jars.
4. As the brine is heating up, add the garlic, peppercorns and dill seeds to the jars then arrange the vegetables in the jars. Pack them tightly, standing upright for easier removal. 
5. Once the salt has dissolved, use the funnel to pour the brine into the jars until the vegetables are covered.
6. Allow the jars to cool and then store in the fridge for at least 48 hours before using.
7. The pickled carrots and parsnips should last up to 3 weeks in a resealable container once opened and can be used in any recipes which call for normal parsnips or carrots.