Produce Spotlight: Stuff You Should Carrot-Bout!

When you think of a carrots you may think of the hum drum orange vegetable, only available in “baby” form or huge Bugs Bunny style. But we’re here to tell you carrots are anything but boring! There’s a whole spectrum of carrots, including red, yellow, and purple varieties, each with their own visual and nutritional appeal.

Carrots are an incredibly versatile root vegetable in the culinary world – they make great snacks, soups, additions to salads, cakes, breads and baked goods, juices, braises, stews, and more – there are endless directions you could take!

In the winter root vegetables are at their absolute sweetest because of cold air and soil temperatures, and they carry on into early spring. Take advantage of this sweet time of year and get down to the Chico Certified Farmers’ Market to try all the beautiful and colorful carrots you can!

Choosing and Storing

Choose carrots that are smooth, firm, free of large cracks and have bright, fresh-looking tops. The tops themselves can be tasty and pretty; if you’re preparing carrots simply (steaming them, for example, or serving them as crudites), you might leave tops intact. Remove them for storage, however, as they can affect the root’s moisture and flavor.

Carrots generally taste best when recently harvested. Cut off the tops, and keep the carrots in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper for up to two weeks. If they become limp, refresh them in a bowl of ice water.

Health Benefits

In addition to their sweet flavor and satisfying crunch, carrots are packed with beta carotene, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Carrots contain a variety of nutrients and antioxidants, along with vitamin C, that will boost your immune system. Carrots also keep hair happy and healthy, contain beta carotene that makes your skin glow, and contain vitamin A, which prevents wrinkles and keeps skin healthy and elastic!