Continuing with my pickle cravings 😛 I really love these carrots straight out of the jar or diced on a salad. Tonight, over wilted kale, I drizzled avocado oil, sprinkled sea salt, and topped it with some of the diced pickled carrots. They really give a salad some oomph! Vinegar helps manage your blood glucose levels and could help lower your risk of high blood pressure.

1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 1/2 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns*
1 bunch carrots with stems, de-stemmed, peeled, quartered lengthwise**

1. Bring the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add garlic, mustard seed, peppercorns, and chili flakes.

2. Place the carrots in a wide-mouth quart-size mason jar or large bowl (preferably glass or ceramic) and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Stir to combine spices. Make sure all the pieces are submerged in the brine. Allow to cool completely (at least a couple hours) before serving.

*peppercorns can be cracked with mortar and pestle or placed in a ziploc bag and smashed with the bottom of a pan.

**cut the carrots to the length of the jar. I like to use these carrots on the stem because they tend to be sweeter and more tender, but they can be replaced by regular carrots. Also, carrot tops are edible! Wash them really well and saute with olive oil and garlic for a refreshing side dish