Submitted by Ken Kastman
This recipe sounds a little strange — carrots as jam? …but this has a wonderful taste and is a great use for sweet fall carrots. This dish appeared recently at the Eggleston Orchard Fest and there were many requests for the recipe. The following was adapted from a recipe by Eugenia Bone from Putting Food By, as published in the Door County Wisconsin, Edible Door Fall 2015 magazine.
1 pound carrots, coarsely grated, (about 2 ½ cups)
1 ½ cups sugar
1 lemon to yield:
— 2 teaspoons of zest; ¼ cup lemon juice (add more juice if your lemon is too small)
½ teaspoon salt
One 3-inch cinnamon stick (or 1 teaspoon of powered cinnamon)
8 whole cloves
½ cup of water (or more for thinning)
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
Stir the carrots, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt together in a heavy Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Add cinnamon and cloves to the mix. Cover and let macerate in the fridge overnight. (Maceration reduces the cooking time the next day.)
The next day, add the water and nutmeg to the carrot mixture, bring to a boil, and simmer for 25–35 minutes until the carrots are glossy and soft. Do not let the carrots become gluey. Let cool. The cooled carrots may take on a rising sculpture appearance (almost like spaghetti squash) when they cool. Toss the carrots in a blender, on “blend”, for a minute to soften the mixture. It should be orange, thick and jam-like. This jam goes well with various cheeses.
Try this recipe and enjoy!