|
It's
the season to add carrots to your meals
May 29, 2008
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
The
simple carrot – staple of party trays and salad bars
– is in season from now until fall.
That may be news to most of us, since we’ve grown accustomed
to carrots being available year round. Most are grown in California
and shipped throughout the country.
But back home, carrots are showing up at farmers markets and
in the CSA – community supported agriculture –
share of locally grown, organic produce delivered to my doorstep
each week. That’s good news at my house, because nothing
beats the flavor of fresh, locally grown carrots.
Carrots are thought to have originated in the Middle East,
and the earliest form of the root was various shades of purple.
The bright orange color of the common carrot cultivated today
is a clue to its nutritional value.
Carrots are a rich source of vitamins A, K and C and a good
source of potassium and dietary fiber. They’re also
high in beta-carotene and other beneficial phytochemicals.
In fact, eating large amounts of carrots or carrot juice can
temporarily cause your skin to turn yellow-orange. It’s
not a harmful condition, but it underscores the amount of
beta-carotene the vegetable contains.
As nutritious as carrots are, it’s fortunate that they’re
also so versatile and easy to work into your diet. I use carrots
liberally in various forms. Here are a few:
* Shredded. Add a couple handfuls of shredded carrot to salads
and casseroles. They’re good in a hummus sandwich because
the sticky bean dip helps to keep carrot pieces from falling
out. Use them in pita pocket sandwiches and as a garnish with
a few black olives on the side of a plate.
* Sticks. Use julienne-cut carrots or carrot sticks as snacks
for dipping with salad dressing, bean dip or salsa. They’re
also convenient to keep on hand for stir-fry.
* Cooked. If you have leftover fresh carrots at home, an easy
way to use them up is to simply steam them in the microwave
oven or on the stovetop. Carrots sweeten as they cook, explaining
why cooked carrots taste so good. You can also puree cooked
carrots and thin them with a little vegetable broth to make
creamy carrot soup.
* Juice. If you have a heavy-duty juicer or blender, you can
make your own fresh carrot juice. If not, buy fresh carrot
juice at your local natural foods store. Mix it with orange
juice for a refreshing and highly nutritious breakfast drink.
* Convenience-packed. Yes, I do buy the little baby carrots
that are already washed and peeled. You may pay more if somebody
peels your carrots for you, but if it means you’ll eat
them, the nutritional benefit can be worth the cost. Kids’
snack packs – baby carrots packed with small containers
of salad dressing dip – are also a good choice for school
lunches.
Should you peel carrots before eating them?
If you buy organically grown carrots, it’s sufficient
to rinse them thoroughly before eating. For conventionally
grown carrots, remove the outer layer of the root with a vegetable.
If you grow your own or buy fresh carrots from a farmers market,
the lacey green tops can be a novelty. Most people don’t
eat them, but they are edible and can be chopped and added
to salads.
Remove the green tops before storing fresh carrots, otherwise
they’ll steal fluid from the roots and cause the carrot
to wither. If you keep carrots refrigerated in the vegetable
bin and wrapped in moist paper towels, they’ll keep
for at least several weeks.
If carrots aren’t a staple at your house, they should
be. Try them now while they’re at their best, locally
grown and in season.
|
