Tag: carrot tops

Gardening Diary: Carrots!

The other morning, I picked some of my carrots. They were delicious! I was so worried about them at the beginning of the season because the greens were eaten by critter(s) but they rebounded.

All it takes is a little time, and yum, fresh garden carrots! I’ll be planting these again next year for sure.

Oh and the carrot tops ARE edible, contrary to rumors that they are poisonous.

PS And the green tomatoes I harvested days ago are slowly turning red. We should have one or two more batches for sauce.

Update: 2012-10-9: Pulled up the last of my carrots. I’m so happy that they worked out this year! Now that I know how relatively easy they are to grow, next season I’ll definitely plant more.

I’m also updating the post with photos

Sept 16: The first full-sized carrot (all others prior were too early and way too tiny)
The first pulled full-sized carrot

Oct 2: First good harvest of a bunch of carrots
First carrot harvest

Oct 9: 2nd and last harvest of carrots (2.5lbs) – I think a nice hardy cream of carrot soup is in order!
2nd and last carrot harvest

What To Do With Carrot Green Tops

Carrot roots are delicious, but what about the gorgeous green carrot tops? I received a batch of fresh carrots in my CSA share this week, and I didn’t want to waste the greens.

I thought about throwing them into the blender and mixing up a batch of greens for the dogs, but then I decided to google, to discover what others online are suggesting.

Carrot greens have a very bad reputation for being poisonous to humans but they are not actually toxic. Yes, some people can have a very bad allergic reaction to them! Some can’t even brush up against carrot greens without causing a bad rash, and others have reactions when eating the greens.

But it looks like in smaller amounts, most of us can enjoy carrot greens. They can be used in similar ways as parsley or other herbs and can make a tasty addition to soups and sauces. I took a bite of a raw green the other day, and it tasted similar to a carrot. I didn’t find much bitterness, as others have complained about, but perhaps I just ate a lucky leaf! LOL

Freezing Raw Carrot Greens

I removed all the younger greens from the stalks and thoroughly washed/rinsed them. After they dried for a few minutes in a colander, I tossed them in smaller quantities in freezer bags, and stuck them all in the freezer. It will be interesting to add them to chicken soup next time!

It’s also possible to blanch them for a minute or two before freezing, but I assume that I’ll use the greens pretty quickly, before the enzymes have a chance to wreak havoc on the nutrients.

I bet it’s even a good idea to dry them in a low temp oven for a few hours and use like dried celery leaves.

carrot green tops

Helpful Links:

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-964649.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg1210074232050.html
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/422562