Carrots
Sweet, crunchy carrots in vibrant colors, harvested young for peak tenderness and flavor
Storage
Remove greens immediately if you want them to last more than a couple weeks (they draw moisture from roots). Store unwashed carrots in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.
Keeps For
Months when properly stored from fresh. Depending on how well your crisper is holding humidity they can go a bit limp after a few weeks but the flavor is fine.
Flavor Profile
Sweet and crisp with an earthy undertone. Young carrots are tender with concentrated sweetness, while mature carrots develop more complex, slightly spicy notes. Orange tend to be the sweetest, but colored varieties are also delicious. Carrots lose some of their complex flavor as they age.
How to Prep
No need to peel young carrots - just scrub clean. Larger carrots can be peeled if desired. Cut on the bias for elegant presentation. Save carrot tops for pesto or chimichurri - they taste like a mix of parsley and carrot.
Ways to Cook
- 1 Raw as snacks or in salads
- 2 Roasted whole with herbs
- 3 Glazed with honey and butter
- 4 Shredded for slaws and salads
- 5 Pureed into soups
- 6 Pickled for tangy crunch
- 7 Juiced fresh
Pairs Well With
Good to Know
Green shoulders indicate sun exposure and can taste bitter - simply trim them off if you care. Carrots may develop a white film when stored - this is just dried sap and rinses off easily. Split carrots are perfectly edible but should be used first. Some colored carrot varieties can have woody cores. Watch for incredibly thick leaf connections as that is sometimes an indication.
Did You Know?
Orange carrots weren't common until the 17th century when Dutch farmers bred them in honor of William of Orange. Before that, carrots were mainly purple, white, yellow, and red.