For Farmer Lee Jones, certain vegetables have such incredible flavors, colors, and health benefits that the only word to describe them is "magical." And this season, the "magic" word is carrots. "People assume that a carrot is a carrot is a carrot...not true!" he exclaims. "At The Chef's Garden, we grow white, yellow, peachy pink, purple, and orange — a rainbow of carrots!" And a rainbow of flavors and textures too. From sweet and nutty to earthy and herbal, these crunchy, juicy, sweet carrots are grown as traditional long carrots and even turnip-shaped round ones.
"The variety of the carrot selection we offer is important," Farmer Lee says. "But, most important, is how they're grown and the regenerative farming techniques used to rebuild the soil." Indeed, that is where the real "magic" happens. In his fields in Huron, Ohio, Farmer Jones relies on a refractometer — a tool that looks like a 5-inch-long telescope and measures the level of natural sugar in fruits and vegetables in a unit of measurement called brix. One gram of sugar per 100 grams of juice is one brix unit. "Our carrots measure between 12 and 16 brix per unit versus three brix for grocery store carrots labeled as "baby carrots," which are larger carrots shaved down and machine shaped."
Machine shaped? Blasphemy.
Those natural sugars are better than adding granulated sugar to our diets. "And all that natural sweet flavor, along with beauty and variety, means we can get kids — and us — to eat and like carrots," he says.
What makes Chef's Garden carrots special?
Carrots are full of fiber and nutrients, including vitamin K1 for bone health. They are also loaded with the antioxidant beta-carotene, a pigment found in plant foods that gives them their color and whose name is derived from the Latin word for carrot: carota. Our bodies convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, which supports eye health and boosts immunity.
Read More: History of Carrots
Chef's Garden carrots provide more nutrition than commercially grown carrots since the soil in which they're grown is continually and naturally replenished. Strong, healthy Chef's Garden carrots can fend off weeds and insects without harmful pesticides and other chemicals. "For some of our vegetables, you're getting 50% more nutrition than store-bought commercial vegetables," Farmer Lee says.
How to use carrots
"People love to use carrots to make ribbons," Farmer Lee says. To make carrot ribbons, use a vegetable peeler to run the blade down the entire length of the vegetable to create thin, delectable, tender strips. This creates a delicate, tender texture, and you can quickly sauté the carrots in olive oil for a side dish or add them to pasta primavera. You can also do this with zucchini and yellow squash. Farmer Lee recommends adding carrot ribbons to add to a salad with a mesclun mix.
Roast whole carrots with other seasonal vegetables harvested at the season's peak, such as beets, radishes, turnips, and broccoli, and serve them with yogurt dip for an enticing way to kick off a get-together. And for a healthy sweet treat, shred carrots and bake them into savory muffins or juice them for a refreshing smoothie.
"Carrots are a root-to-tip vegetable, so don't discard those tops," Farmer Lee adds. Chop them and add to a salad, or swap them for basil and make a delicious, earthy carrot pesto.
Our favorite carrot recipes
- Muffin pan
- Muffin liners
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 12 teaspoon baking soda
- 12 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 34 cups milk (at room temperature)
- 13 cup unsalted butter (melted)
- 1 cup zucchini (grated)
- 1 cup carrot (grated)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, Italian seasonings, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and butter. Add in the grated zucchini, carrot, and cheddar cheese.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and combine until everything is incorporated.
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin liner 3/4 full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes.
- 2 cups full fat Greek yogurt
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh-squeezed)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
- 1 cup grated cucumber
- 3 tablespoons fresh dill (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Harry & David Baby Vegetable Basket
- Olive oil (the spray kind works best here)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl.
- Roll the grated cucumber up into a paper towel and squeeze it firmly over your sink to remove the excess moisture.
- Add the cucumber to the bowl with the other ingredients and stir to combine. Divide this base mixture into two smaller bowls.
- To one bowl add the chopped dill, parsley, cilantro, and mint. Stir to combine.
- To the second bowl, add the honey, ginger, and turmeric. Stir to combine.
- Cover both yogurt dips and refrigerate them until you're ready to use them.
- Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Prepare the carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, and artichokes, then spread them across the baking sheet.
- Peel and wash the carrots and beets.
- Trim off and discard any ends that are excessively woody. If any of the carrots or beets are significantly larger than the others, slice them in half lengthwise.
- Scrub the potatoes. There is no need to peel them.
- Remove the skin from the pearl onions. You can leave the root end intact.
- Trim off the woody part of the stem from the artichokes. Remove and discard the outermost leaves. Then slice the artichokes in half (or quarters if they are large) lengthwise.
- Prepare the zucchini, squash, green beans, radishes, and brussels sprouts, then spread them across the baking sheet.
- Wash the zucchini, and trim off and discard any excessively woody ends.
- Wash the squash and green beans.
- Scrub the radishes.
- Trim off any woody parts from the brussels sprout stems and remove any outer leaves that may be wilted.
- Lightly coat all the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt and black pepper.
- Place the baking sheets in your pre-heated oven. The vegetables on the first baking sheet will be done after 25-30 minutes.
- The vegetables on the second baking sheet will be done after 10-15 minutes. Check them halfway through the roasting time and turn/toss them gently as necessary.
- Divide the roasted baby vegetables between serving platters.
- Serve with the two yogurt dips.
- 2 thin slices fresh ginger
- 3 ounces carrot juice
- 1 ounce apple juice
- 1 ounce vodka
- Lime wheel (for garnish)
- Muddle the ginger slices in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
- Add the carrot juice, apple juice, and vodka.
- Shake well for about 10 seconds.
- Pour over ice.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
Note: You can make fresh carrot and apple juice or buy organic prepared juices.
How to care for and store carrots
Delicious, farm-fresh carrots are in season year-round. When buying carrots, look for firm, dry, and plump ones, and avoid any slimy or floppy carrots. Keep unpeeled and unwashed whole carrots submerged in water in the refrigerator to maintain their crispy, crunchy freshness for up to four weeks; cut carrots stored this way will last about two weeks. Grate or shred fresh carrots, freeze them later, and add to soups.
When it comes to storing carrots, Farmer Lee has a very important piece of advice: "Don't store carrots near apples," he warns. "Carrots absorb the apple's odors, produced by naturally occurring ethylene gas, which promotes deterioration and robs the carrots of moisture."
And we wouldn't want anything taking the magic out of our carrots.
AUTHOR
Theresa Gambacorta is a food writer and 25-year veteran of New York City's restaurant industry. Her writing has appeared in such titles as La Cucina Italiana, Men's Fitness, Muscle and Fitness, and Centennial's special interest publications. She is the co-author of chef Joey Campanaro's Big Love Cooking (Chronicle) and is currently working on a cookbook about Persian cuisine to be published by Knopf.
