Carrot

Carrots adapt to a variety of soils and growing situations throughout the world, although good sun and fine-grained, well-drained soil are requirements for healthy growth. Adding sand, vermiculite or other soil-lighteners to carrot beds is often necessary to insure long straight roots with few hairy side-roots. Although carrots can be found in shades of white, yellow, red, and purple, their basic ruddy orange color serves as a primer on beta-carotene at work. Carrots' natural sweetness and cheerful color combine to make them a popular vegetable in many cuisines.

What to Look For:

Bright clear color; even dry carrots should shine with color
Straight, heavy roots. Spindly roots are prone to drying out and contain fewer nutrients.
If tops are attached, they should be crisp and feathery.
Carrots peeled and processed as "baby carrots" should have strong color and only small amounts of moisture in their sealed bags.
Very large carrots may have woody cores; look for medium-sized roots instead.

Carrot Storage and Preparation Tips:

Traditional cooks will argue about whether or not to remove tops; the choice has more to do with measuring continuing freshness than nutritional values. Carrot tops are edible but not usually eaten.
Carrots may be refrigerated in original packaging or scrubbed and stored in a plastic bag.
Scrubbed, or peeled and cut into sticks, carrots can be refrigerated in water to encourage healthy snacking.
Carrots have thin skins; scrub lightly to remove dirt and do not peel to preserve maximum nutrients.

Cooking with Carrots:

Carrots can be steamed, boiled in a little water (1 inch), roasted, braised, stir-fried, and squeezed for juice. Their light sweetness adds flavor to, without overwhelming, vegetable combinations and gives them a natural affinity with citrus fruits. Some cooks enhance the sweetness, using carrots to increase moisture in cakes, quick breads, cookies and fruit cakes. In American and European cooking, carrots join onions as seasonings for roasted meats and poultry. While cooks worldwide harbor their personal secrets for the very best chicken soup, nearly all include carrots in their ingredients.

Carrot Nutrition Highlights:

While claims that consuming carrots will produce curly hair may be maternal overstatement, the impact of carrots on eyes and epithelial tissue (skin, body tissue, mucous membranes) is founded in solid science. High levels of beta-carotene enable absorption of naturally-occurring Vitamin A, essential to vision and overall tissue health. Carrots also provide a good source of fiber. Their light taste may appeal to those who find other vegetables unappealing. Commercial production of prepackaged, reasonably priced snack-sized carrots has greatly encouraged carrot consumption among those seeking good sources of nutrition that do not require extensive preparation or cooking skills.

Nutrients of Carrot