Raw carrots make for quick and easy snacking, but this versatile root vegetable can also be roasted, braised, steamed or sauteed — as well as baked into muffins, quick breads and cakes. While they’re a year-round supermarket staple, carrots actually have a season, or two seasons to be precise. There’s a late spring crop as well as a fall crop and some of the fall harvest goes into cold storage for winter, which means you can enjoy carrots now and for months to come. Read on for tips on shopping for, storing and prepping carrots.
How to shop for carrots
Orange is the most common color, but carrots come in a rainbow of hues. Check your farmers market for purple, white, yellow and red carrots and pick ones with deep, rich color.
Look for plump, firm carrots without any soft spots. The skin should be smooth and free of cracks or splitting.
If you see carrots sold in bunches, with their leafy tops still attached, make sure the greens are bright and not at all wilted. Carrot tops are a little bitter but can be used in pesto, soups and salads.
Carrots lose moisture through their leafy tops, so cut those off before storing. Wrap the greens in a damp paper towel and use them within a day or two; they’re delicate and wilt quickly.
Store carrots in an unsealed plastic bag in the refrigerator.
How long do carrots last in the fridge?
If properly stored, carrots are hardy and should keep for a couple weeks.
How to freeze carrots
Select young, tender, coreless, medium length carrots, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Remove the green tops, wash the carrots and peel them. Leave small carrots whole and cut others into thin slices, 1/4-inch cubes or lengthwise strips. Blanch, cool, seal in a package and freeze.
How to prepare carrots
Most people peel carrots, but a good scrub will also suffice, especially if you’re working with baby carrots. Older carrots tend to have bitter skin and should be peeled.
This twist on slaw is the perfect lunch or dinner to make ahead of time and pack. It's delicious and hearty while still being healthy and giving you a good dose of protein, grains and veggies!
These soft and cakey cookie sandwiches are packed with all the same flavors as a slice of cream cheese-frosted carrot cake in an easy handheld package that's perfect for parties, lunch boxes and afternoon snacks.
Here are 10 ways to cook them. Raw carrots make for quick and easy snacking, but this versatile root vegetable can also be roasted, braised, steamed or sauteed — as well as baked into muffins, quick breads and cakes.
Carrots can be cooked using several methods. Some common methods are steaming, boiling, braising, roasting, sautéing, stir frying, and microwaving. Carrots should be cooked only until they are tender-crisp to ensure maximum flavor. Overcooking may also destroy some of the nutrients contained in carrots.
Appearing in farmers' markets as early as May, fresh carrots are available through December in some parts of the country. Even though orange is the classic color, you can find purple, yellow, red and white varieties. Carrots are also unique because they grow downward into the soil instead of upwards towards the sun.
Although raw carrot slices go well with a dip, cooked carrots are softer and easier to chew. But that's not the only benefit of heating the vegetable. Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw, according to a January 2008 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Learn how to cook vegetables to use in a variety of recipes. In this post, I explain how to chop, steam, boil, sauté, marinate, roast, and pickle vegetables.
Carrots need about an inch of water per week when young, but as the roots mature, increase water to 2 inches per week. The best way to know if you need to water is to stick your finger in the soil about an inch deep near the plants (but don't disturb the developing roots).
Carrots are cool season vegetables that prefer sunny locations and fertile, deep, well-drained soils. Incorporate plenty of organic matter and a complete fertilizer into the area before planting. Plant seeds ¼-½ inch deep. Thin seedling carrots to 3 inches apart in the row with rows 12-18 inches apart.
Is it okay to eat carrots every day? Eating carrots in moderation is good for your health. Eating carrots in excess, however, can cause a condition called carotenemia. This refers to yellowish discoloration of the skin because of the deposition of a substance called beta-carotene that is present in carrots.
Carrots are a particularly good source of beta-carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. Plus, they're low in calories. They also have several health benefits. They have been linked to lower cholesterol levels and improved eye health.
And while some vegetables may not be the best thing to consume before you try to get some shut eye, carrots are one of the vegetables that will promote sleep as they contain the alpha-carotene nutrient as well as potassium.
Roasted carrots have the best texture, and the flavor is amazing. Roasting draws out the natural sweetness and you get a nice caramelized flavor. They're so much better than boiled carrots! Roasting is also easy; it's hard to overcook a roasted vegetable: if it gets too done, it's clearly burned.
No matter which way you cook them, carrots are a healthy choice. Steaming is a slightly better pick since the carrots don't lose as many of their nutrients to the water. (Steaming is also more environmentally friendly since it uses less water.)
You can peel them with a vegetable peeler or knife if you'd like, but you don't have to. From there, you might slice them into sticks and eat them with hummus or a yogurt-based dip. If you don't like crunchy carrots, you can steam, boil, or roast them and serve them as a side dish.
Introduction: My name is Aron Pacocha, I am a happy, tasty, innocent, proud, talented, courageous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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