Spice up your microbiome with this overlapping of seasons recipe. As wild garlic draws close, this is great use of young May British carrots. Please take a look at my full recipe and reel. The spices in this can be quite strong, so please feel free to use less or take out any that don’t t(p)ickle your fancy.
You will need:
500g carrots
handful of wild garlic flowers (washed) or two cloves of garlic halved
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
chilli flakes or chilli sliced in half (optional)
240ml vinegar e.g. apple cider
240ml water
2 tbsp honey//sugar//agave
1 tbsp salt
1 sterilised Kilner jar
Method:
Top, tail and peel the outer layer off the carrots. Depending on your kitchen equipment and preference, julienne, peel or grate the carrots.
Wash and dry a handful of wild garlic flowers. You can keep the stems on if you wish, so long as they will fit into your pickling jar.
Over a low heat toast peppercorns, chilli flakes (optional), coriander and cumin seeds in a heavy-based saucepan until fragrant.
Add chosen vinegar (e.g. apple cider//rice) and water with sugar//honey and salt. Bring to the boil until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Sterilise a glass jar (boiling water is a good method) and pack the carrots and wild garlic flowers. Use two cloves of halved garlic if you don’t have any wild garlic flowers.
Pour the slightly cooled vinegar and spice into the jar, covering the carrots.
Seal the jar and refrigerate. Try to let the flavours infuse for at least two days before trying. They will keep for up to two weeks.
Note: sugar is used to balance out the tart flavour of vinegar. You could omit the sugar altogether but this will result in a sour taste - if you can take it. You can also use other natural sweeteners like agave, but use a little less.
Nutrition: Carrots are rich in vitamins and minerals like Vitamin A, K and potassium. Pickling can help preserve these vulnerable nutrients. Nutrient absorption is aided by the pickles’ probiotics, which promote a healthy gut microbiome!