Produce Spotlight: The Ultimate Guide to Carrots
This month’s produce spotlight is all about Carrots. I have the answers to your questions about carrots including, are the tops edible, how to grow them, how to store them. If you’re wondering should I remove the carrot tops before storing them, or what the difference is for yellow and purple carrots, then read on! The answers and much more are included in todays produce guide.
Table of contents
Recipes
Carrot Recipes
Are you running out of ways to cook your carrots? Don't worry a second more. I've created a list of some great carrot recipes that range from carrot fries, to maple carrot sheet cake, to carrot and parsnip mash.
Carrot Ginger Soup with Oregano Croutons
This Carrot Ginger Soup with Oregano Croutons is the perfect mid-Winter vegan soup! And it is only 123 calories per serving. Granny smith apples, fresh ginger and thyme add wonderful layers and depth of flavor and the aromatic and crunchy oregano croutons make it extra special.
Moroccan Carrots
These Moroccan Carrots are a favorite healthy and flavorful side dish. They are loaded with garlic, vinegar and cumin! They are a great make-ahead side dish for summertime potlucks, barbecues and parties because you can serve them room temperature or chilled.
Hot Moroccan Carrots
I finally figured out a way to turn my favorite summer side dish into a winter side dish! It’s like a seasonal cooking miracle. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but it isn’t a stretch to say that these Hot Moroccan Carrots are a new favorite side dish recipe for us.
Carrot Ginger Dressing
This carrot ginger dressing tastes just like the dressing you’re served at a Japanese restaurant. Bonus: it tastes less than 10 minutes to make!
Roasted Baby Carrots
If you are looking for a super-easy way to cook baby carrots, then look no further! This recipe for simple roasted baby carrots works with bagged baby-cut carrots and “real” peeled baby carrots straight from the farm or garden. Read on to see step-by-step photos, a video and some tasty additions to make them even more flavorful!
Maple Glazed Carrots
I have my favorite Maple Glazed Carrots recipe to share with you today. They have a smidge of butter, shallot and a touch of cinnamon. They’re great as a simple stove-top side dish to make for Thanksgiving, or for for any day of the week.
Mashed Carrots and Parsnips
I had no idea that Carrot and Parsnip Mash was a popular Irish side dish until recently. Since discovering it, we have been loving the sweet and creamy mashed veggies as a paleo alternative to potatoes and I am so excited for you to try it too.
Lemony Carrot Salad with Mustard Seeds and Feta
Salad month continues with a healthy shredded carrot salad. This one has dill, parsley and crumbled feta cheese and it is tossed with lemony dressing. I added in whole mustard seeds to for an unexpected twist.
Roasted Carrots and Onions
It doesn’t get much easier than this recipe for Roasted Carrots and Onions. Simply peel and chop carrots, toss them with oil and seasoning and then roast them until they’re tender and caramelized. That’s it! Today I’ve also added in (optional) sweet onion to amp up the savory flavors! Serve them as a side dish, or you can use them for meal prep!
Ginger Pickled Carrots
I have three words for you… ginger pickled carrots! If your farmer’s market is flooded with gorgeous locally grown carrots right now like mine is then you have to try this delicious recipe from Not Your Mama’s Canning Book by Rebecca Lindamood! And if not, you still need to try this recipe. Yes, it’s that good.
Healthy Maple Carrot Sheet Cake
This insanely delicious healthy carrot cake is only 254 calories per serving, and it is so sweet and moist and loaded with carrots, raisins, walnuts and pineapple. It is totally refined-sugar free. It has a simple maple cream cheese and coconut frosting that you can make without a mixer.
Carrot Cake Waffles
These Carrot Cake Waffles are a cross between a hearty, wholesome whole-wheat waffle and a slice of carrot cake.
Radish Salad With Carrots
Today’s recipe is a Radish Salad with Carrots and easy maple ginger vinaigrette. If you have been looking for a new recipe to try with radishes, this salad is your answer. It only takes about 15 minutes to make and is a nice break from green salad.
Grilled Carrots
If you’re wondering if you can grill carrots, I am here to say, most emphatically, you certainly can! Actually, I highly encourage it! Today I have a short video showing how to make grilled carrots plus I have some tips so they are tender all the way through, but not overly charred. Grilled carrots, are great just plain with oil, salt and pepper, but I’ve elevated this recipe today with a few extra flavors- harissa, lemon and mint!
Morning Glory Muffins
Pull out your whisks and bowls my friends, this Morning Glory Muffin recipe is going to be your new favorite breakfast muffin to make. It is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and made with whole-wheat flour. And of course it has a touch of warm spices and is loaded with carrots, raisins, oats and nuts.
Thai Turkey with Carrot Noodles
I'm sure you've heard of zoodles before, but have you every fried carrot noodles? So easy to make and equally as healthy.
Baked Carrot Fries with Harissa Tahini Dip
Carrot fries are the new French fry. Don't believe me? Try them out yourselves with this carrot fry recipe. The tahini dip alone will be enough to keep you coming back for more!
Origin and Growing Tips
Origin
William Woys Weaver writes in Heirloom Vegetable Gardening:
“While the white carrot is native to Europe, the genetic origin of both yellow and violet carrots is believed to be Afghanistan. Both the yellow and violet carrots were mentioned by Arabic writers and moved westward through Iran into Syria, and then into Spain by the 1100s.”
“By the early 1300s, the violet carrot was being cultivated in Italy, but the familiar orange form came along later, probably during the 17th century.” – Elizabeth Schneider, the Essential Vegetable Reference from Amaranth to Zucchini
Hardiness Zones
Carrots can be grown in a variety of growing zones but prefer to be planted in cooler weather, after danger of heavy frost. A fall planting can occur after the heat of the summer. In warmer growing zones (such as 10) carrots are best grown in the fall and winter.
Seasonality
Generally speaking, they are in season in mid to late summer and fall. Though in warmer climates, they can be grown in the winter time. Either way, they are great storing crops so are available through the winter months.
Growing Conditions
- First and foremost- carrots prefer conditions where they can’t be eaten by rabbits, deer, gophers etc. I personally have had a terrible time trying to grow carrots because I have a rabbit problem.
- According to the Vegetable Gardner’s Bible by Edward C Smith, carrots like deep wide raised beds and germinate in moist 45 to 75 degrees F soil. The colder the soil the longer the seeds will take to germinate.
- Because the seeds are so tiny, it is difficult to plant them in an evenly spaced manner, and if they’re broadcast, they’ll need to be thinned.
- If they are grown too closely they can be stunted or misshapen. Thinning can be tricky because you can accidentally pull up or disturb the carrots intended to stay.
- Trimming the tops with scissors is a work-around. Seed tapes and seeds which have been artificially embedded in pellet material are available, but are more expensive, and may take longer to germinate.
Carrot Nutrition
I asked Registered Dietitian and Health Coach Jennifer Lynn-Pullman MA, RDN, CSOWM, LDN from Nourished Simply the following questions in this section about Carrot nutrition.
What are the nutritional differences between cooked and raw carrots?
Cooking processes may slightly decrease the beta-carotene content. Boiling for long periods will cause nutrients to leach out into the cooking water. To preserve the nutrient content of many vegetables, cooking should be quick with limited water, such as steaming or microwaving. However, the cooking process does help make beta-carotene more available for our bodies to absorb.
Are carrots high in carbs and or high glycemic?
Clients commonly tell me they avoid eating carrots because they are too high in sugar. In fact, carrots are considered a non-starchy vegetable. Non-starchy vegetables per serving only contain about 5 grams of sugar. Starchy vegetables, on the other hand, contain about 15 grams of sugar per serving. The glycemic index of carrots is around 6, which is low.
Health Benefits
- Carrots like other vegetables are rich sources of fiber and many vitamins and minerals.
- Carrots are an excellent source of Beta-carotene, biotin, vitamin K, and potassium in particular. Beta-carotene is responsible for the orange-yellow pigment found in carrots and other vegetables. Beta-carotene is also an antioxidant and a provitamin A. As a provitamin A, Beta-carotene is converted to Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is necessary for growth and development, reproduction, maintenance of our immune system, and for low-light and color vision.
- Many people suggest that eating carrots is good for your eyesight. Consuming carrots will give you a rich source of beta-carotene, which will, in turn, supply your body with necessary Vitamin A that is needed for normal eye function. Consumption of carrots won’t improve impaired vision or give you “super” vision.
Buying Tips
Look for carrots that are dry and free from any signs of sprouting. Avoid carrots that have become soft or have visible rot. Carrots that are larger, while easier to peel, are not necessarily more flavorful.
Unless you have a desire to use the greens (see below) I recommend buying carrots without their greens as they will have the highest moisture content. The exception for this would be if you are shopping at a Farmers’ market, and you can verify that the carrots were just dug.
Carrot Greens
You can eat carrot greens. But, Mara Welton of Half Pint farm says they are a bit fibrous. She recommends juicing them or adding them to your homemade chicken stock. She also says that when the greens come from young carrots they will be more tender.
Chef April Bloomfield, in A Girl and Her Greens explains that carrot tops are “a little less carroty than the roots, and almost briny, like heartier borage.” She says you can use small pieces of them as you would herbs or in larger amounts the carrot tops can be used to make pesto.
Storage Tips
Store the greens in a separate plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Home grown carrots can be stored for the cold season in a root cellar. The Vegetable Gardner’s Bible recommends to do so in damp sand or sawdust or in a bin or box.
Otherwise for smaller amounts, keep carrots in plastic bags in the produce drawer of the refrigerator.
Pete’s Greens of Vermont says fresh baby carrots should be refrigerated loosely wrapped and used as soon as possible. Larger ones can keep longer. They often recommend keeping them in the crisper drawer, unwashed.
Freezing Carrots:
- Peel and cut carrots into dice or slice.
- Blanch the carrots in boiling water 1 to 2 minutes depending on how large the dice or slice is.
- Drain and submerge in ice water. Drain thoroughly.
- Spread out in a single layer on a sheet pan. Freeze the sheet pan.
- Once the carrots are frozen, transfer them to a large re-sealable bag and keep frozen up to 4 months.
Click Here to see how to Pickle Carrots and store in jars
FAQs
Carotenemia is a yellowing of the skin caused by excessive consumption of carotene-rich foods such as carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes. The condition is harmless and is generally seen in infants and young children since commonly used baby foods include carrots and sweet potatoes. Carotene builds up in the bloodstream and turns skin yellow/orange particularly on the palms of hands, soles of feet and around the nose. The condition will resolve when carotene-rich foods are decreased.
Yes you should cut the greens off as soon as possible. The greens will otherwise pull moisture, and possibly nutrients, from the carrot roots.
Cooking with Carrots
Varieties
- There are slight flavor differences between the different varieties of carrots but not enough that they cannot be used interchangeably.
- I find most white and yellow carrots to be the most mild in flavor. When peeled, they are either white or pale yellow inside.
- Purple carrots, when peeled are most often orange inside. Some are mottled slightly reddish just beneath the skin, but often are not red all the way through. If you have a variety that is in fact dark red through, they will stain the other carrots that are cooked with them.
At Healthy Seasonal Recipes, we specialize in cooking with fresh veggies and creating weeknight meals. Sign up HERE to get more produce-forward dinner ideas for FREE! If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
I love thinning my garden carrots because the young seedlings are so tasty in salads!
I didn’t know you could do that. How cool and thank you for sharing the tip with us.
I love carrots but most of all i enjoyed reading your post. Your photography is awesome.
That’s great to hear! And thank you very much. I appreciate it Gunjan.
What a fabulous resource on carrots! Awesome recipes.
Thanks Sandi. Glad you stopped by today to check this out. Have a great week.
What a great resource!
Thank you Jen and thank you for your help in the nutrition area! So interesting!
Such a thorough and interesting post Katie, thank you! Plenty of things I didn’t know 🙂 My husband’s grandma makes amazing cumin carrots I can’t get enough off!
I love cumin and carrots too. Such a yummy combination.
Fascinating history and information on using carrots. Food science has always interested me. The collection of recipes is phenomenal.
Thanks so much Leslie. Glad you find it interesting! Have a great week.
I love carrots so much, what an awesome round up! Can’t wait to try that carrot dessert!
We go through so many pounds of carrots year round, in this house! Glad you like it Emily.