Spicy, sweet and delicious. Carrot might be my new jam!

Getting a summer produce via CSA is a complete god send! With my CSA, I am guaranteed fresh and beautiful produce from Fullers Overlook Farm on a weekly basis. It makes my weekly grocery trips and meal planning a breeze, not to mention it’s all very delicious. The only downside is that, occasionally, I get inundated with a specific vegetable or fruit that I can’t seem to use enough of. Lately for my family it seems to be carrots. I use and eat carrots fairly regularly and I just can't seem to put a dent in my supply. I debated making carrot bread, carrot cake, carrot soup, etc.. Then it dawned on me like a bolt of lightning, why not jam?! So with this stroke of genius I decided to combine the warm spices of carrot cake with the thick consistency of jam, the results are positively magical!

The result is a thick and chunky concoction that is very reminiscent of a U.K. favorite, Branston Pickle. I never personally tried this British delight but the look of my Spiced Carrot Cake Jam is eerily similar, at least in its consistency.

This spicy and sweet orange delight is absolutely wonderful on a warm buttered biscuit, as an accompaniment for grilled cheese or ,if you’re feeling fancy, a fresh buttermilk scone with a piping hot cup of English Breakfast. The possibilities for this vegetable jam are practically endless! Every time I stop to think about my carrot jam I get a new idea for a recipe or a use, it’s maddening! If anything, this definitely means I might need to make more.

If you want to shake up your former beliefs of what jam can be, you can experiment with this vegetable jam and see what jam could be. The world of jam is full of possibilities and it is our duty to explore it! Now, time to peel those carrots and make some jam!

Spiced Carrot Cake Jam

*Makes 1 ½ pint jar

1 ½ cups of carrot juice

3 large carrots peeled and grated

1 ½ cups of light brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Prepare your carrots by giving them a thorough wash, peel and grate. You can great the carrot on the medium grate side of a box grater or if you want to use a quicker method, you can use your food processor with the grater disc. 

Combine all your ingredients in a small pot and place on the stove at medium high heat. Once the jam starts to boil, turn down to medium heat until it is at a gentle and steady boil. While the jam boils you will need to stir it frequently in order to ensure that the carrots don’t burn. 

Cook down your jam and until it thickens. The carrots will have a candied consistency and the liquid will become sticky. You’ll know when your jam is done when the liquid looks like honey.

With vegetable jams there is no need to do the frozen spoon test like I did for my Simple and Sweet Blueberry Jam and my Pleasantly Tart Raspberry Jam. 

Once your jam is thick and glorious, you can jar it or place it in a container for immediate consumption. It can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 months, 18 months if you seal your jar. If you choose to seal the jar you can follow the instructions in my previous jam recipes. 

*I chose not to seal the jar to store in my pantry because I made such a small batch. I plan on using this jam within the next month. If you would like to make a larger patch just double or even triple the recipe.