Make your own pickles?

[Porch Dweller]

If you like carrots, here's a good recipe I saw on Good Eats about ten years ago. It's called "Firecrackers" and is for spicey pickled baby carrots. The chili flakes and peppers I use are homemade cayennes from my folk's garden and give the carrots a pretty decent amount of heat.
Recipe by Alton Brown.

1/2 pound mini carrots
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes
2 dried chilies


Place carrots in a sterilized spring-top glass jar. Bring the water, sugar, cider vinegar, onion powder, mustard seeds, salt, and chili flakes to a boil in a non-reactive saucepan. Boil for 4 minutes.

Slowly pour the hot pickling liquid over the carrots, filling the jar to the top. Place the chilies in the jar. Allow the carrots to cool before sealing. Refrigerate for 2 days up to 1 week.