Carrots
Carrots
Carrots
Eat carrots and earn a
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Carrots
Have you ever tried a carrot cartwheel?

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Fun Facts

The colorful history of carrots begins about 5000 years ago in Central Asia, where the purple carrot made an appearance and was later joined by yellow, white and red carrots. These crunchy root veggies weren't eaten -- they were too bitter -- but their leaves were used as food and decoration. In the 1600s, English women decorated their hats with carrot leaves. Meanwhile, Dutch farmers were busy crossbreeding red and yellow carrots to create the first truly tasty carrot. Guess what color it was? Carrots can grow really, really big -- up to 19 feet long! But today we eat more baby carrots, which are actually made from regular-size carrots. In the 1980s, instead of discarding blemished carrots, a California farmer cut and peeled them, placed them in a bag for sale, and the baby carrot was born!

Star Power

Raw or cooked? Either way the carrot is a powerhouse of vitamin A, with more than twice the daily RDA! And with antioxidants like beta-carotene to root out DNA-damaging free radicals, carrots are good for the eyes, skin, heart and brain. Lots of nutrients are in the skin, which is ok to eat as long as the carrots are washed first. (Organic is better if peeling is unappealing.) Did you know that carrots taste sweeter after a hard frost because they convert starches into sugar to keep water in their cells so they don't freeze?

Quick Preps

PREPARE: Cut off carrot greens, then rinse under cool water. If carrots are organic, you don't have to peel them. Just scrub off the dirt.

  • Eat raw carrot sticks as a snack, alone or dipped in homemade hummus.
  • Shred carrots and add to slaw, salad, soup, sandwiches, wraps -- even pasta!
  • Make carrot fries. Cut into strips, drizzle with olive oil, cumin and paprika, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
  • Steam carrots and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.
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Fun Tip

Buy all the colors of carrots you can find -- purple, orange, red, yellow, white -- and have a blindfolded taste test!

Star-Powered Recipe

5 star dinner Creamy Carrot Cartwheel Soup
Creamy Carrot Cartwheel Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil or oil of choice
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 6 cups carrots, chopped
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup Northern beans
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Method

  • In a large soup pot, heat 1 tbsp. coconut oil over medium heat.
  • Sauté onion until translucent, then add garlic, thyme and chopped carrots; cook for 3-4minutes.
  • Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes, untilcarrots are tender.
  • Add the Northern beans, then use an immersion blender or carefully transfer to a foodprocessor; blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
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How to Store

Raw, unpeeled: Refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.To freeze: Wash, peel and cut into ½ inch pieces, then blanch for two minutes and chill quickly in ice water. Dry, the place in airtight container or freezer bag for up to 18 months

Raw, peeledWrap in plastic, place in plastic bag or covered container before refrigerating for up to 3 weeks. To freeze, follow the directions above. |Cooked: Let cool, then wrap tightly with plastic or place in container within two hours of cooking. Carrots should keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to a year if placed in the freezer.

How It Grows

Carrots grow from seeds into an edible taproot that measures from 5 to 9 inches, depending on the variety. Green fluffy leaves -- sometimes called carrot tops -- grow from the top of the root.

Peak Seasons

Year round

Varieties

Sirkana, Top Cut, Red Core Chantenay, Scarlet Nantes, Little Finger, Danvers, Indigo, Purple Dragon, White Satin, Red Samurai, Imperator

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