🥕🫙 Canned Carrots (Pressure Canning Recipe) 🥕✨

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Processing Time: 25 minutes (Pints) / 30 minutes (Quarts)
Cooling & Depressurizing Time: ~45–60 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hour 30 minutes
Intended Intensity / Skill Level: Intermediate (Requires familiarity with pressure canning equipment and safety protocols)
Yield: About 9 pint jars or 7 quart jars (from roughly 11 to 17.5 pounds of fresh carrots)

Equipment & Supplies

Carrots: 11 lbs for 9 pints, or 17.5 lbs for 7 quarts (Select young, tender, uniform carrots, 1 to 1¼ inches in diameter)
Water: Fresh water for washing, plus boiling water or cooking liquid to fill the jars
Salt (Optional): Canning or pickling salt (Avoid table salt with anti-caking agents which can cloud the liquid). Use 1/2 teaspoon per pint or 1 teaspoon per quart.

Wash and Peel: Scrub the carrots thoroughly under cold running water. Peel them entirely to remove dirt and surface micro-organisms, then trim off the green tops and root tips.
Cut: Slice or dice the carrots into uniform rounds (about 1/4-inch thick) or lengthwise strips depending on your preference. Consistency ensures even packing and processing.

Hot Pack Method (Recommended for best color and space efficiency): Place prepped carrots in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pack hot carrots loosely into hot jars.
Raw Pack Method (Crispier texture): Pack raw, freshly cut carrots tightly into clean, hot mason jars without pre-cooking.

If using salt, add 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon to each quart jar.
Ladle boiling water or hot cooking liquid over the carrots, maintaining a strict 1-inch headspace at the top of each jar.
Run a non-metallic bubble remover or plastic spatula down the inside of the jars to release any trapped air pockets. Add more liquid if necessary to maintain the 1-inch headspace.
Wipe the rim of each jar clean with a damp paper towel to remove any sticky residue or food particles. Center a hot canning lid on the rim and twist on the screw band until fingertip-tight.

Pour 2 to 3 inches of hot water into the bottom of your pressure canner. Place the rack inside.
Carefully load the filled jars onto the rack, ensuring they do not touch each other or the sides of the canner.
Lock the canner lid securely in place according to your manufacturer’s directions, leaving the vent pipe open.
Turn the heat to high. Allow a steady stream of pressurized steam to exhaust continuously from the vent pipe for 10 full minutes to push all air out of the vessel.

After 10 minutes of venting, place the appropriate weighted gauge over the vent pipe, or allow the dial gauge to climb.
Bring the canner up to the required pressure based on your style of jar, altitude, and type of gauge (see pressure adjustment guidelines below):
- Pints: Process for 25 minutes.
- Quarts: Process for 30 minutes.
Regulate the heat under the canner to maintain a steady pressure throughout the entire timing duration.

Turn off the heat source once the processing timer finishes. Let the pressure canner cool down naturally until it reaches zero pressure completely.
Once depressurized, wait another 5 minutes, then carefully remove the weight and unlock the lid, tilting it away from your face to safely escape remaining steam.
Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and place them upright on a dry towel, leaving space between them. Do not retighten bands.
Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Test the seals, remove screw bands, wash down the jars, label with the date, and store in a cool, dark pantry.

Weighted-Gauge Canner:
- 0 – 1,000 ft altitude: 10 PSI
- Above 1,000 ft altitude: 15 PSI
Dial-Gauge Canner:
- 0 – 2,000 ft altitude: 11 PSI
- 2,001 – 4,000 ft altitude: 12 PSI
- 4,001 – 6,000 ft altitude: 13 PSI
- 6,001 – 8,000 ft altitude: 14 PSI