How to Can Carrots (Raw Pack Method)

Canning carrots using the raw pack method is a straightforward way to preserve your harvest or bulk purchases, ensuring you have nutritious vegetables ready for meals year-round. This method involves packing raw, peeled carrots into jars and processing them in a pressure canner. It’s essential to use a pressure canner for low-acid vegetables like carrots to prevent the risk of botulism.

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🥕 Why Choose the Raw Pack Method?

The raw pack method is ideal for home cooks seeking efficiency. It skips the blanching step, saving time and preserving the carrots’ texture. This method is particularly useful when dealing with large quantities of carrots from your garden or market hauls.

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🛠️ Essential Equipment

Before you begin, gather the following equipment:

• Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker: A reliable pressure canner is crucial for safely processing low-acid vegetables.
• Ball Regular Mouth Pint Mason Jars: Standard jars for canning.
• Canning Jar Lifter Tongs: For safely placing and removing hot jars from the canner.
• Prepworks® Canning Funnel: Helps in filling jars without spills.
• Norpro Canning Bubble Popper Measurer: Removes air bubbles and measures headspace accurately.
• Norpro Magnetic Lid Wand: Retrieves sterilized lids from hot water safely.

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🧂 Ingredients & Measurements

Ingredient	US Measurement	Metric Measurement
Carrots	12 pounds	5.4 kilograms
Canning Salt	1 tsp per quart jar	5 grams per quart
Boiling Water	As needed	As needed

Note: Salt is optional and used for flavor; it does not affect preservation.

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🕒 Prep Time

• Preparation: 30 minutes
• Processing: 25 minutes (pints) or 30 minutes (quarts)
• Cooling: Varies

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🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Carrots — Wash, peel, and rinse the carrots thoroughly. Cut them into uniform slices or chunks, ensuring they are no thicker than 1.5 inches.
2. Sterilize the Jars — Wash jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Keep jars warm until ready to use to prevent cracking when hot liquid is added.
3. Pack the Jars — Fill the warm jars tightly with raw carrot pieces, leaving a 1-inch headspace at the top.
4. Add Salt (Optional) — If desired, add 1 teaspoon of canning salt to each quart jar or ½ teaspoon to each pint jar.
5. Add Boiling Water — Pour boiling water over the carrots, maintaining the 1-inch headspace.
6. Remove Air Bubbles — Use a bubble remover tool to eliminate air pockets. Adjust the water level if necessary to maintain the correct headspace.
7. Clean Jar Rims — Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth to ensure a good seal.
8. Apply Lids and Bands — Place the sterilized lids on the jars and screw on the bands until fingertip-tight.
9. Process in Pressure Canner —
   • Place the jars in the pressure canner.
   • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to bring the canner to the correct pressure:
     • 10 pounds pressure for altitudes 0–1,000 feet.
     • Adjust pressure according to your altitude.
   • Process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.
10. Cool and Store —
    • After processing, allow the canner to depressurize naturally.
    • Carefully remove the jars and place them on a towel or cooling rack.
    • Let them cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours.
    • Check seals before storing.

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🍽️ Nutritional Information (Per 1 Cup Serving)

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	37 kcal
Protein	1.46 g
Total Fat	0.43 g
Carbohydrates	12.63 g
Sugars	5.65 g
Dietary Fiber	3.42 g
Sodium (with salt)	552 mg
Potassium	408 mg
Vitamin A	1585 mcg

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🧰 Recommended Canning Tools

To assist you further, here are some recommended products:

Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker

$134.99

Amazon.com + others

★★

4.7

Standard Canning Jars

Ball Regular Mouth Pint Mason Jars

$12.14

Walmart + others

★★

4.6

Essential Safety Tool

Canning Jar Lifter Tongs

$8.89

Amazon.com – Seller + others

★★

4.9

Mess-Free Filling

Prepworks® Canning Funnel

$9.95

Pinetree Garden Seeds

Accurate Headspace Measurement

Norpro Canning Bubble Popper Measurer

$2.59

Amazon.com + others

★★

4.8

Safe Lid Handling

Norpro Magnetic Lid Wand

$6.99

Amazon.com – Seller + others

★★

4.8

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These tools are essential for a smooth and safe canning process. The Presto 23-Quart Pressure Canner is highly rated for its capacity and reliability. Ball Regular Mouth Pint Mason Jars are standard for canning needs. The Canning Jar Lifter Tongs ensure safe handling of hot jars. The Prepworks® Canning Funnel helps in mess-free filling. The Norpro Canning Bubble Popper Measurer ensures accurate headspace and removes air bubbles. Lastly, the Norpro Magnetic Lid Wand allows safe handling of sterilized lids.

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By following this guide, you’ll have a pantry stocked with home-canned carrots, ready to enhance your meals with minimal effort. Happy canning!