There’s a lot more to carrots than just the little baby or different-shaped ones you can buy at the store! Those are great options, but so are the whole carrots that you can buy and cut and cook to your preference. Whatever the case, eating more carrots is always a good idea! This post is all about how to select and store carrots, in order to be able to enjoy them to their fullest.
(This post is an excerpt from The Produce Nerd’s Grocery Guide, with input provided by Lakeside Organic Gardens. You can learn more about the Grocery Guide, which covers this information for 55 different produce items, with input from 26 crop-specific companies HERE.)
What to look for when picking the best quality carrots?
- Look for carrots with fresh green tops.
- Misshapen carrots are fine.
- Carrots should look fresh, not dried or chapped looking from age.
- They should snap.
Are there any common issues that are specifically caused by bad grocery store handling?
- A common problem is grocery stores don’t move product fast enough. Produce with leaves can yellow, dry up or in wet veg, start to get soggy and mildew. We harvest, pack, cool and ship within a couple days to ensure fresh organic produce.
- Temperature control, too cold or not enough or too much moisture are common store handling problems.
What is the best way to store carrots at home?
- Carrots do fine in the crisper section of the refrigerator.
- From The Produce Nerd: Fresh carrots need to be stored in the refrigerator. And, especially if we are talking about any pre-cut or chopped carrots that have been formed into baby carrots or the crinkle cut type, etc. that have liquid in the bag.
What is your favorite way to eat and prepare carrots?
- I love roasted carrots. They are incredibly sweet.
- From The Produce Nerd: I also love to roast carrots with avocado oil and garlic salt! Another great option for kids (or anyone, really) that are still getting used to the texture of cooked carrots, is to cut up carrots (so they are still crunchy), and put garlic salt on them and leave them out for a snack. The kids love the crunch, and the flavor!
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