Copper Pennies

It seemed like my Mama’s copper pennies would go really well with a slug burger, so I’m adding them to this recipe. She’d peel and slice fresh carrots and slice them into rounds – the shape of pennies. These sweet and tangy carrots were popular during the Depression, when folks needed food that could be made ahead, didn’t spoil fast, and used what you had in the root cellar or pantry.

Why’d they call ’em copper pennies? Well, they looked just like a jar full of spare change. And back then, folks needed every cent to count. Smart cookin’ from a time when nothin’ went to waste.

Now, carrots were a smart staple. Cheap, lasted long in a root cellar, and easy to grow even in poor soil. Plus, this dish used ingredients a lot of folks already had in the pantry.

The classic copper pennies used boiled carrots that were marinated in vinegar, sugar, and tomato soup with sliced onions and peppers. You’d stick it in the icebox, let it chill overnight, and it’d keep for days.

Now folks down south preferred a warm version—carrots simmered with butter, brown sugar, and just a splash of vinegar or lemon juice.

In some communities, sugar was scarce. Honey or molasses stepped in to sweeten the pot. It gave the carrots a deeper, almost spiced flavor, and was popular at holiday suppers or church gatherings.

I'll always be partial to my mother's copper pennies. These were as sweet a treat as any cookie she could ever make. She'd churn her own butter and use it to make melt-in-your-mouth carrots. To this day one bite of this recipe can take me right back to my childhood.

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