When buying fresh carrots look for crisp, green tops.
After bringing them home, trim the tops before storing.
The larger the carrot, the less sweet, so look for thinner,
smaller carrots when purchasing. You can store carrots
in the refrigerator for about 20 days if they are fresh, but
as a general rule, try to eat them within a week to get
the most vitamins and taste. Peel or scrape them just
before using.
If you are growing your own carrots harvest them before
they reach about 3/4 inch at the top of the carrot (below
the stem and leaves). Grip them by the root firmly (push
away a little of the soil around the top of the root if you
need to) and push down, wiggle and pull up. If you have
very hard soil, you may have to water an hour or two
before you harvest to loosen the soil. Because of our
limited space we usually just eat our the fresh carrots
we grow raw. The kids love them! But if you have an
abundance or buy them the following recipes will work
well with baby carrots or small tender carrots.
Glazed Carrots With Herb Butter
Ingredients:
2 pounds small or baby carrots, scraped
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. chopped herbs: lemon balm, thyme, oregano or mint
salt
black pepper
Place the carrots in a heavy saucepan and just cover with
water. Add the butter and cover. Bring to the boil, reduce
the heat, and cook 15 minutes or until crisp tender. Remove
the cover and boil down until the liquid has reduced and
the carrots are coated with butter. Watch them carefully to
prevent burning. Add the chopped herbs and season with
salt and pepper. If they do seem dry, add a little more butter.
Carrots in Herb Vinegar
Ingredients:
20 small or baby carrots, cleaned and trimmed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. mixed herb vinegar
Place carrots, water and lemon juice in small saucepan.
Cover and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover, increase
heat to high and cook, stirring, until liquid evaporates, about
5 minutes more.Turn heat down, add the butter and vinegar.
Heat till the butter has melted and coated the carrots.
Autumn Carrots
Ingredients:
10-12 small carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp. margarine
Boil or steam carrots just until tender; drain. While
the carrots are cooking, combine the sugar, cornstarch,
nutmeg and ginger in a small saucepan; add orange juice.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce
thickens. Cook 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in
the margarine. Place carrots in a serving dish, pour over
the sauce, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and let stand 4 to
5 minutes before serving.
Honey Glazed Carrots
Ingredients:
8 small to medium carrots, cut into 2-inch slices
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
grated peel from one orange
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons herb or red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon balm or lemon thyme, chopped
salt and pepper
In a saucepan cover the carrots with about 2 cups of
water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for
about 5 minutes. Drain. In same pan melt the butter
over low heat. Add the ginger, orange peel, honey,
vinegar and carrots. Toss until heated through, about
1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the herbs and
salt and pepper to taste.
Spicy Braised Carrots
Ingredients:
4 cups carrots, thinly sliced or julienned
1 cup red onion, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. dried orange peel
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Boil the carrots in water for 5 minutes, drain well.
Meanwhile, sauté the onions and green pepper in
oil with garlic and ginger in a large pot until all our
softened. Do not brown. Stir often. Reduce the heat
to low. Combine hot water, spices and lime juice.
Slowly add the carrots and water mixture to the pot.
Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes or
to desired tenderness.
Related Features:
Making Herb Vinegar
Ginger Carrot Soup
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is an avid gardener,
freelance writer, mom and wife. She is owner and editor of
Old Fashioned Living.com.
