Hard raw carrot-like crunch? No. The processing softens them somewhat just as cooking would. Nice? is a personal taste thing. I like them but others may not like the flavor or texture.

Dave

OK - carrots are cooked, I can picture this - but I would like to add different dried spices , instead of mustard seed and celery seed . Would this be a safety issue ?

Not as long as you use dried spices (not fresh) and in reasonable amounts. But take care as many spices/seasonings can turn bitter or overly strong during storage so it is best to UNDER-spice than to over-spice. You can always add more after opening the jars.

Dave