Hi - I made some dilled carrots using the recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and was wondering about its vinegar to water ratio.

Most of the other recipes in the book use a 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 vinegar-to-water ratio but the carrots require a 3-to-1 ratio according to the recipe. Why is this - because of the density of the carrots, for safety?

They're delicious but sometimes I find the vinegar punch they have hard to take (!)

Does anyone know if it would be safe to reduce the vinegar to water ratio to something like 2-to-1 - or would it be a bad idea to deviate from the recipe?

Thanks!