There's a story here. One night, out with some friends drunkenly rambling around lower Manhattan, we stumbled into a bar called the Grange Hall. Turns out it was (RIP Grange Hall) a well-loved institution, but we had no idea -- we just had amazing cocktails in a snug little hideaway bar. Specifically, they had a dill martini, made of homemade dill-infused vodka and garnished with a pickled green bean, a pickled carrot, and a couple of pickled caperberries. I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

I pestered the bartender for more carrots until he just gave up on me and gave me a bowlful and the name of the supplier: Beth's Farm Kitchen. These fine people will ship you as many jars of their fabulous pickles as you need.

However, being handy in the kitchen I tried making a batch of my own, and they came out pretty damn good. Here's my method:

Ingredients:

carrots, cut into sticks the size you like
white vinegar
water
salt
whole dried red peppers (or red pepper flakes in a pinch)
peppercorns
fresh dill
dill seed
garlic, peeled and sliced

Now, amounts and proportions may vary according to your taste, but the last batch I made was about 4-5 carrots, a large clove of garlic, 4-5 peppercorns, 2 hot peppers, a biggish sprig of dill, & 1/2 tsp or so of dill seed. Put all that into your jar. I put about 3/4 cup vinegar & 1/2 cup water on to boil, then added about 3/4 tsp salt, and poured it over the carrots in the jar. (There was way too much brine to fit in the jar.) Let it sit out a few hours, then cover & put in the fridge. Good that day or any day thereafter. You can also consult the Joy of Cooking or your favorite pickle recipe for a more exact vinegar/water/salt ratio; I tend to go by taste these days.