Pickled Baby Carrots with Dill

Note from Cheri: The recipe and text below is reprinted from Linda Ziedrich's The Joy of Pickling. This wonderful book is an encyclopedic reference of recipes for pickles of all types, from every corner of the globe. Click here for more sample recipes from this invaluable reference. Although she takes two or three foot-long carrots in each bag lunch, my nine-year-old daughter, Rebecca, pulls the carrots from her garden when they are only about 4 inches long. I don't mind, though-these sweet little carrots are perfect for pickling. For variety, you might use tarragon or cilantro in place of the dill.

1 lb. (1 quart) 4-inch carrots, scrubbed and trimmed 1/4 cup minced dill fronds or 2 whole dill sprigs 3 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped 1 to 2 red jalapeno peppers, seeded and sliced 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons pickling salt 1 cup white wine vinegar 1 cup water 1/4 cup sugar

Makes 1 Quart 1. Blanch the carrots for 2 minutes in boiling water, then immerse them in cold water until they have cooled. 2. Pack the carrots and dill into a 1-quart jar. In a saucepan, bring the remaining ingredients to a boil. Pour the liquid over the carrots. Cap the jar, and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the jar for 2 days or longer before eating the carrots. Refrigerated, they will keep for at least 2 months.