History:
Carrots are a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. The plant probably originated in Persia according to Wiki. Originally they were all purple or white, and I have read where some claim Dutch growers created orange carrots in the 17th century.
The UK has a World Carrot Museum.
Nutrition
Most of their nutrition is in the skins so do not peel, just wash well.
1 medium (5″ to 7″) = 25c, 5.84k, .57p, 1.7f, + 2.77 sugars, 42mg sodium
Freshness:
Look for firm stalks, make sure at least some of the green is attached (which are edible).
Prep
- Wash the veggie with a brush, if organic do not peel, if not organic peel
- The little hairs that may show are new root growth. What I do then is use the blade of my knife and scrape off the areas with the growth. The food is still edible. (1)
- When you see cracks in the carrots, these are often caused by rough handling. The carrot is still edible. (2)
- Remove the top greens but do not dispose, these are edible.
Best Cooked
I use carrots in everything from salads, coleslaw, to soups, burritos, roasted with other veggies, raw, etc. Carrots can be used nearly everywhere, but they do add a sweet note to the food.
- As a side dish I will often blanch cut carrots, then sauté them in butter until soft and serve with some chopped parsley.
- As a salad, I do not use carrots by themselves, preferring instead to make carrots an important crunchy part of any lettuce-based dish.
- I do like adding carrots to any pickled veggies for their color and sweet-sour taste.
Use not Dispose
You can eat the carrot top leaves, although some think they are bitter, but these wonderful leafy food are full of nutrition. There are recommendation that blanching will help remove the bitter. They can be also be used in salads, chimichuri, pesto and tabbouleh. Carrot peels should never be disposed but used in salads or broths. If bought organic I never peel my carrots, just clean them well.
Risks
WebMD: Carrot might cause skin yellowing if eaten in large amounts. It might cause tooth decay if consumed in large quantities as a juice. We currently have no information for CARROT Interactions.
HealthLine: According to one study, carrots can cause pollen-related allergic reactions in up to 25% of food-allergic individuals. Carrots grown in contaminated soil or with contaminated water contain larger amounts of heavy metals, which can affect their safety and quality.
Storage:
Unwashed carrots can be stored for several months in the refrigerator or over winter in a moist, cool place. The worst I have seen on carrots stored to long is they get limpy. But these are still edible, just cut them up and add to soups or matchstick and add to salads, no one can tell.
Variations
Like other colored carrots, orange carrots contain about four times the USDA recommended dose of vitamin A and have beta-carotene. These are earthy and sweet. Can be eaten either raw or cooked.
Red carrots don’t differ much from orange carrots when it comes to taste. Their red color comes from lycopene (an antioxidant also in tomatoes).
Purple carrots have a very sweet flavor accompanied by a peppery hit. This is more common in purple carrots that hold their color both on the exterior and interior. However, the interiors can be white, red or orange.
White or golden carrots are typically a cream color with a mild flavor and no real earthiness. These carrots are notably sweeter than the others.
My Story
My mother would often supply us with washed raw carrots whenever we asked for something sweet. Good for teeth, nutritious, and satisfyingly crunchy. This, on-the-go food is made for kids to carry and snack so it worked well for us. Also it was relatively cheap to buy.
When I visited the southern states, I would find thin matchstick carrots added to some jello as a treat. I thought it tasted good, but I actually like jello.
I always have some carrots in the fridge as one of my base foods. Carrots can also stay good a long time in the fridge, up to 2-3 months if cared for properly. And, when they get a bit wilty, just cut and add to a stew.
—Patty