How To Can Carrots Using a Pressure Canner

Good morning canners! Today is a bright day filled with garden veggies and clean mason jars. Our veggie pick and the topic today are how to can carrots, so let's dive in and start chopping. Canning Carrots Items Needed: pressure cannerone large pot of boiling waterfunnelladle7 quart-sized jarsa small pot of water to heat your lids inringsmagnet (optional)canning tongsdampened washclothovenlarge bowl to hold your sliced carrots Ingredients: Your standard pressure canner will hold 7-quart sized jars, so that means you need 7 quarts of chopped, sliced or chunked carrots.Salt Directions: Wash your carrots then slice or cut them into chunks. Heat your water, jars, and lids on the stove. The pressure canner is shown here, but I removed it and placed the water on. There wasn't enough room for all of the pots. Once your large pot of water is boiling, boil the small pot of water for your lids then turn off the burner. Place all of your lids in and leave.Turn your oven to the lowest setting.Be sure to prep your area where you will set your jars after filling. Fill one jar at a time with carrots until there is a 1 inch headspace remains. (Be sure to replace the hot jar with a cool one in the heated water.) Dump one teaspoon of salt into the jar before you ladle your boiling water. Fill the jar with boiling water until it is 1 inch from the top. Once your jar is filled, use your canning tongs and place the jar on your prepped area. Now, wipe the rim off with your clean damp washcloth, grab a lid with your magnet, and seal it by placing and screwing on your ring until snug. Place your now filled jar of carrots into your warm oven. It's imperative to keep your jars warm until all of them are filled and sealed. I have an electric flat top so once the jars are filled. I used the remaining boiling water to dump into the pressure canner as you need two to three inches of boiling water in the bottom of your canner before you set your jars in. This also cleared up a burner, so my pressure canner would fit.With your pressure canner on your stove, remove your hot jars of carrots from the oven and place them gently in your canner. You don't want to weaken or break the glass. Place your pressure canner lid on and seal.Turn the burner to medium-high, while keeping the valve of your pressure canner off. When steam starts to come out of the valve, vent put it back on.While watching your gage, bring the pressure to 10 lbs. and then adjust your heat to sustain that pressure.For quarts, keep your pressure at 10 lbs. for 30 minutes, and if you are working with pints, the time is 25 minutes. Once the allotted time is complete, turn off your burner and let the pressure canner sit until the dial has returned to zero. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID EARLY. Remove the lid and place your jars on the countertop and cover with a towel for 24-48 hours. You will hear the lids pop when they have sealed. Another way to check is by pushing slightly down. If the lid moves at all, they have not sealed. Each jar is different in the time it will take to seal. After your 24-48 hours is up check your lids. When you push down, and there is no movement, you have a successful seal.Store in your pantry if sealed. If not, refrigerate, and use right away. You are finished! No-fuss, no muss, easy peasy. As I know some people will ask about whether you could can carrots using a hot bath, the answer is no. You need to can all low acid foods with a pressure canner. If you have any other question, please feel free to send me a comment or email. Until next time, stay healthy and free! Heather EarlesHeather is married to a retired Special Forces Officer, and they live on a farm with their four children. She is an established author, a stay-at-home mother, and an advocate for healthy living. She publishes a weekly blog and podcast (Herb ‘N Wisdom™) and writes for a local newspaper to aid and inspire others. Learn More About The Author