Do you ever get to that point in your gardening season when you start to think, “I can’t stand to eat/see one more {insert over-abundant crop here}?” I know I do. Then, come dead of winter, I always regret not savoring the season a little more. Don’t it always seem to go?
This year, I am really making an effort to get the most out of every single thing I grow {or find for an awesome deal}. In an effort to use it all up or preserve it, I thought I’d start a little series of posts on ways to diversify your harvests {not to be confused with your financial portfolio}.
Carrots are one of my favorite crops to grow. They taste amaze-balls fresh out of the dirt and actually store really, really well. So, here are some suggestions on ways to use ’em up:
Preserving
- Slice ’em and freeze them. They work great roasted or in soups and stews. To freeze them, just wash, peel and cut them. Then blanch them in boiling water for about 2 minutes {to preserve color}.
- Puree and freeze them. You can sub carrot puree for pretty much anything you would use pumpkin puree for–it just adds a different, but still delightful flavor profile. Cook them until they are soft and then run them through your blender or food processor.
- Make carrot cake jam. It is jam that tastes like cake. I shouldn’t have to sell it more than that.
- Dehydrate them. They work great re-hydrated in the winter months in soups and stocks.
- Shred them and freeze them in pre-measured baggies. Frozen carrots work great for my favorite carrot cake recipe. {I don’t blanch shredded carrots. I just shred them up and measure them directly into freezer bags}.
- Can them, straight up. I’ve never really done this one, but there are tons of how-to’s on the world wide web.
- If you really can’t get to processing them, give them a quick scrub and toss them whole into a freezer safe bag. Then, whenever you make chicken stock, vegetable stock, etc. you can quick grab a carrot or two and plop it in to simmer.
Ways to Enjoy Them Fresh
- Make carrot salad. It’s one of my favorite uses for fresh carrots.
- Make heirloom carrot cake pancakes. Get your veggies and your breakfast all in one.
- They make an awesome addition to rice.
- Add them to salads with reckless abandon. Shredded, slice, you name it.
Desserts
- Stay with me here: Kale Brownies with Carrots. Who said you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
- Carrot coconut bread. I contemplated giving this a breakfast category, because I totally eat this stuff for breakfast. Quick breads are an easy way to use up lots of different kinds of veggies.
- Old Fashion Carrot Cake Bars. Translation: sugar, flour, and butter with carrots.
~Mavis
Want to grow your own? GO HERE for the low down.
Roslaeen says
Fermented ginger carrots, carrot and raisin salad, etc., etc.
Laura says
Do you peel your carrots before eating them? I hate! peeling carrots, which is why I always buy the prepeeled baby carrots from the store.
M marks says
I never eat baby carrots because my rabbits won’t touch them. Scary
line says
I heard baby carrots are not really “baby carrots”, but the remains of carrots that started to rot, and they were cleaned and cut and scrubbed with machines to look like what we are sold as “baby’s carrots”
Phillip says
I bought a $1 stainless steel brush from Harbor Freight and brush them under cool water from faucet. Because many times vegetable brushes too soft.
Beth says
I’m a commercial food processor working with small farms to reduce food waste and I use shredded carrots in our loaded pasta sauce recipe (also shredded zucchini) and I also make a carrot marmalade with shredded carrots. (or zucchini marmalade won 3rd place in the marmalade division at the state fair this year!)
Amy says
I make carrot pie insted of pumpkin pie and I like the taste so much better. Apparently it was popular during the Great Depression as it was easier and more economical to grow/buy carrots than pumpkins. I just substitute mashed boiled carrot for the pumpkin puree. Yum!!
Laura says
That’s a great idea! I have a hard time growing carrots in our Carolina red clay, but when I find some at the farmer’s market that have beautiful tops, I use the greens to make carrot top pesto.
Nancy knott says
I made some carrot jam which contains warm spices, and wow was I surprised, it tasted just like pumpkin pie!
Now I found 25 lbs of carrots at a market for 6.00,I couldn’t leave it there! Only problem, what do I do with all these carrots? I did make a few jars of mixed pickles, I’d love to can some as vegetables for the winter, but apparently you’re not supposed to, unless you have a pressure canner( which I don’t)
Any ideas?
Jennifer says
Trust me! Try this, it’s the best.
http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/recipe-makeovers/lighten-up-holiday-classics/carrot-souffle
Shirley Curtis says
Sadly your carrot cake recipe has disappeared!
Mavis Butterfield says
It should work now.:)
Deborah says
Yes, I have thought if I see another ____________, I’m gonna scream. This was green beans. We planted (2) 30 foot rows of a square foot garden type rows. I had canned 97 pints, froze 20 plus quarts, given them away and we had eaten many many meals of them. I finally just let them go to seed. They were still making when I left them. This was in 1997. We had a bumper crop of everything we planted. I love canning for winter. I now now know that I can also dehydrate vegetables and such.
Tammy says
Roasted carrots! Those are so yummy.
Also! Carrot chocolate cake. Yummo. I used the recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/moms-chocolate-zucchini-cake-2767 and subbed carrots for the zucchini. The recipe as is is quite marvelous. So if you have a lot of zucchini to deal with this will take care of some of that.
And as mentioned above, fermented carrots are so good! And they keep! Once you’ve fermented them they will keep in the fridge for about 9-12 months (but I wouldn’t know by experience because I always eat my fermented goods up too fast to see!).
Wendi says
I put diced carrots in my chili as well as grated in my pasta sauce. Thanks for all the ideas. Although I love to grow them, I always dread harvesting my carrots because I don’t know what to do with them all! Now I have some new ideas.
Jude says
I love your blog and read it most every day! You have such a light-hearted view of life, but still you remain true to your journey to get to your self appointed end. You have also saved me so much money on just the books I can download for free — thanks so very much!
As for carrots and my favorite ways to use them up — I like carrot raisin salad, and quick breads, but my #1 preference is Carrot Soup Indienne on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/13012/carrot-soup-indienne-i/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContent. It is the only reason to put up with the chill of Autumn in my book! See you tomorrow!