Carrots are my go-to snack. I eat about a pound a day around the kitchen, raw and crunchy. I don't know that my eyesight is any better, but who knows. This pickled version is great on a pickle plate or chopped up on a pork sandwich.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 3 pints

　　1 pound smaller organic carrots

　　3 tablespoons matchsticks of peeled fresh ginger

　　1 cup vinegar

　　1/4 cup turbinado sugar

　　1 tablespoon kosher salt

　　

Step 1

Peel the carrots and cut them into batons about 4 inches long by 1/2-inch thick. Toss with the ginger and pack into clean, sterilized jars.

　　

Step 2

Combine 1 cup water with the vinegar, turbinado sugar, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour the mixture over the carrots, leaving about 1/2 inch of space at the top of each jar.

　　

Step 3

At this point the pickles are pretty much done but they will be at their best a day or two later. The shelf life, without hot canning processing, is about 10 days. With proper canning, it is 6 to 8 months.

　　Reprinted with permission from A New Turn in the South by Hugh Acheson, © 2011 Clarkson PotterHUGH ACHESON is the chef/partner of the Athens, Georgia, restaurants Five and Ten (named best Atlanta restaurant by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) and The National; the shop Gosford Wine; and his Atlanta restaurant, Empire State South. He is a five-time James Beard nominee for "Best Chef Southeast" and was named "Best New Chef" by Food & Wine. He lives in Athens with his wife and their two daughters.