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Carrots were cultivated as long ago as the 8th century B.C., in Babylon, but Alan Davidson, author of the Oxford Companion to Food guesses they were cultivated not for the root but for the herby greens. (It is member of the parsley family.) Which is ironic, because today, most people toss the greens. Not only are carrot greens edible, they’re delicious.
Small, immature carrots are less flavorful than mature carrots, but slender, young carrots are best. Since, like beet greens, carrot greens pull moisture from the root, as soon as I get them in the kitchen I separate the greens from the root.
When buying carrots with their greens look for bright, moist leaves. Avoid carrots that are rubbery or wrinkly. They should be very firm and smooth (bumpy is okay). Small, immature carrots are less flavorful than mature carrots, but slender, young carrots are best. Since, like beet greens, carrot greens pull moisture from the root, as soon as I get them in the kitchen I separate the greens from the root. The greens can be processed into Carrot Pesto right away, to be served with a piece of grilled meat, poultry, or fish, and the carrots stored in a plastic bag in the fridge (but away from apples, which emit a chemical that can cause off flavors in the carrots). If your carrots get soft or limp you can resuscitate them in cold water; and remove the cores of the old ones, which can be tough.
Lately I have been braising carrots in a little homemade chicken or vegetable stock, white wine, and butter, which is divine, and making an addicting marinara sauce that is super sweet because
of all the carrots in it. Indeed, carrots are excellent in deserty recipes. I make a sweet and sour carrot jam that is fantastic on a mozzarella sandwich, and often add shredded carrots to muffin batters for flavor and texture.
And that’s just getting started. I pressure can carrots to have on hand for quick soufflés, make clean tasting slaws with shredded carrots and feta cheese, cook veal stew with nubby “Paris Market” cultivars that are the same size as the hunks of meat, whip up creamy carrot soup, and of course, every once in a while, a glorious carrot cake, redolent with the spices carrots love: ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Now, when I go to the market I don’t buy carrots to make dinner.
EQUIVALENCIES
1 pound of fresh carrots, or 5 to 7 medium-sized carrots, equals about 2 cups of shredded or sliced carrots. Since there is little shrinkage, 2 cups of shredded carrots equals about 2 cups of cooked carrots. One 6-inch carrot produc- es about 70 ml of juice.
CARROTS AND EYE SIGHT
The reason why it is said that carrots are good for your eyes is based on World War II propaganda released by the British Royal Air Force which published a story saying that one of its fighter pilots could see so well in the dark due to his diet of carrots. Eating carrots won’t cure your myopia but they do contain beta-carotene (it’s what colors carrots orange), which we metabolized into vitamin A, an important nutrient for eye health.
CARROT PRESERVING
Carrots have a pH between 5.88 and 6.40, way too alkaline for water bath processing unless you acidify. But honestly, there is nothing you can’t do with carrots. They make great pickles, which you can process in a water bath. http:// nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_06/pickled_carrots.html You can preserve them in water in a pressure canner. http:// nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/carrots_sliced.html You can freeze carrots by peeling and blanching in boiling water for 2 to 5 minutes depending on whether you are freezing pieces or whole carrots, and then pack into freezer bags. You can root cellar carrots (don’t wash: remove the greens but leave a stub a couple of inches long and pack in straw or moist sand). At 32oF they will keep for about 6 months. And you can dry carrots. Boil for 4 minutes, and then dry at 135°F in your dehydrator until brittle.
28 Harvest 2015
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