Step 1

Fill a hot water bath canner (with a canning rack) with water and bring to a boil while you:

Step 2

Scrub and trim baby carrots to fit a pint jar. Peel, trim, and quarter mature carrots length ways.

Step 3

Wash and inspect 6 pint jars (I always do an extra jar just in case) and their lids. Be sure there are no chips on the jar rims and that there's no rust or dents on the lids.

Step 4

Set jars upside down in a large cake pan, add an inch or two of water. Place in a 250 F oven for ten minutes and keep warm until you are ready to fill them.

Step 5

Place lids and lid rings into a pot and fill with water. Set on stove and heat until they just begin to boil.

Step 6

Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil.

Step 7

Add water, vinegar, and salt to a medium pot. Bring to a boil so that the salt dissolves.

Step 8

Clean and prep garlic and dill.

Step 9

Take jars out of the oven one at a time and add one half of garlic followed by a flowering dill head.

Step 10

Quickly but purposefully arrange the carrots in the pint jar until the are so tightly packed you can't add any more.

Step 11

Ram another garlic half into the carrots, then add a pinch of dill seed. Top with hot brine, leaving 1 cm head space.

Step 12

Quickly cover with hot lid and screw on the sealing ring until it's just tight, but not crazy tight.

Step 13

Place jar in canning rack and repeat until all your jars are finished. If your hot water canner looks too full of boiling water, remove some. If you need more, take it from the kettle.

Step 14

Lower the canning rack into the canner. Make sure there's an inch of water above the jars.

Step 15

Process at a rolling boil for 10 minutes at sea level or 20 minutes at over 3000 ft altitude (or see hot water processing chart HERE), adding boiling water as needed to make sure the jars are covered.

Step 16

Remove and let sit on counter overnight before moving. Check to make sure all jars have sealed (the lids should be depressed in their centres) and refrigerate any that have not sealed.

Step 17

Allow pickles to sit in the brine for a few weeks. Enjoy!