To start, slice up carrots (at an angle is best), jalapeños and an onion and place them in a bowl. I recommend wearing gloves to slice jalapeños. Mix until ingredients are evenly distributed.
Distribute the carrots, onions, jalapeños and garlic cloves evenly in pint or quart jars (you can also use a fermenting crock). Then you mix a ratio of 1 quart of filtered water (it needs to be chlorine free for fermentation to work) with 3 tablespoons of sea salt. Pour it over the vegetables until they are covered. Be sure to leave some headspace in the jar. It’s best to weight down the veggies in the jar so they stay below the water line. You can use plastic or ceramic, but do not use metal as it will interrupt the fermentation process. I like to use onion skins.
Then put a lid and ring on the jars, but not too tight. I save my used lids from canning and reuse them for fermenting since the seal doesn’t need to be tight. Move the jars to somewhere that they won’t be disturbed. It’s best to put them on a towel as sometimes fermentation can get a little bubbly if the jar is too full.
How long it takes for them to ferment is going to depend on your climate, altitude and a variety of other factors. They could be done in 5 days or it could take 2 weeks. Everything will start to change color slightly and the water will look bubbly when the fermentation process is working. You can open the jar and taste one of the carrots to test it out. If it tastes salty, it’s not done. When you’re satisfied with their fermentation level, you can move them to a dark, cool cabinet, a root cellar or put them in the refrigerator. Most fermented foods should be eaten within 6 months (I have some that lasted over a year).
I love serving these fermented spicy carrots with our favorite Mexican food meals, or just snacking on them.
Notes
Keep in mind that you will not be consuming all of the sea salt in the recipe unless you drink the brine as well as eat the fermented veggies.