Carrots

Posted by Fresh Fork Market on 5:05 am, Jan 5, 2012 in About Your Ingredients, Recipes | 0 comments

Most people think of carrots as those orange things that come in salad. In truth, carrots come in a huge variety of colors and shapes. I was surprised to hear one of the kids on the truck say that they had never seen a carrot that was not orange. Well, yes, they come in many colors, shapes and sizes.

Originally, carrots are thought to come from the Middle East, probably Iran. Over time, breeders have created the huge variety of species that are available today, each with their own characteristics. Still, they are primarily the same, some with a little higher sugar content, some with a unique color.

When you get carrots, most people immediately cut off the tops and throw them away. That is a huge waste! When carrots were first cultivated, it was for the tops, not the root. The tops are tasty and aromatic. They can be chopped up and used like parsley. Depending on the variety, they can have a bitter taste. This usually means a high concentration of potassium. They are rich in chlorophyll and trace minerals as well as Vitamin K, which is not in the carrot itself. The flavor is distinctive, and may not suit everyone, and some people may have an allergic reaction. If you do not tolerate carrots well, then you might want to avoid the greens. Otherwise, go for it.

Carrot Greens Pesto

Fresh Fork customers love to make pesto out of everything… kale, garlic scapes, basil, whatever. So why not try making some out of carrot greens? I found an article online for Grilled Carrots with Carrot Green Pesto. The author made a simple pesto of carrot greens, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. You can of course, add your own goodies like nuts and cheese. Here is an excerpt:

I’ve made “pesto” with fresh kale before, and other unlikely leafy greens. So the deep-green carrot tops didn’t seem too much of a stretch. Because these leaves are fairly tough and stringy, I blanched them first in salted water, and tried to remove any long pieces of stem. Even though they boiled for about a minute, so much bright green seeped into the water, a sign of their potency. I also made the most bare-boned version of pesto, with just salt, pepper, olive oil and a raw clove of garlic — no nuts and no grated cheese this time (although those ingredients are listed as optional below). Carrot greens have an exceptionally sweet, grassy taste, and it certainly comes out in this pesto. When slathered on something else, you might assume it’s just basil pesto at first bite, but the unique flavor will creep up on you pretty soon.

If you would like the full recipe, you can find it here.

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