What do you know about carrots?

Carrots are a great source of vitamins, including B1, B2, and C, as well as calcium and iron and a substance called carotene. There are several ways to prepare them, in soup, cooked, stewed, fried, salads.

Carrot is one of the legumes most used when preparing a salad. That's right! Not only is it nutritious and palatable, it is also extremely decorative in color and alone enhances the appearance of a dish. In addition, it provides the body with relatively few calories: only 24 per half cup of chopped carrots. It is also often used to prepare soups, stews and stews of meat. However, not everyone knows that, in addition to the above uses, the carrot can also be transformed with the help of other ingredients into fried foods, cakes and puddings.

Do you know how carrots are grown?

Currently, different types of carrots are cultivated, which are quite successfully adapted to various terrains and climates. But, as a general rule, carrot cultivation is typical of rather cool temperatures, and they do not tend to be of the best quality in tropical or very hot regions. For those who like to have a vegetable garden in their home garden, the carrot offers different varieties to choose from. There are long and thin, short and thick, medium, rounded and even white.

Within these general types there are also various subdivisions. Carrots require for their cultivation a good black soil with some sand and lime. Before planting them, it is necessary to dig the soil well, and leave it free of stones and any other bulky material that can cause the root to deform. You can get up to one hundred twenty carrots in one square foot of land. You have to provide them with all the moisture they need, since dryness affects them unfavorably. To prevent the attack of insects, some plants of the onion family are planted near them.

How to collect and preserve them

Carrots can begin to harvest when they reach the size of a finger. These little carrots are perfectly edible, and they are sweeter and softer than the overgrown ones. They are eaten the same raw as cooked, accompanied by melted butter. But if older ones are preferred, you can wait for them to grow more before picking them from the plants. In cold climates you should never wait for do it to the ground to freeze.

Carrots keep for quite a long time in the refrigerator. They also keep well in the freezer, especially if they are picked young. There is another way to keep them out of the refrigerator. It consists of removing the green part from above and burying them in a sandbox. This should then be stored in a basement or some cool place.

When we buy the carrots

If carrots are not grown but bought in the market, it is best to choose the smallest and strongest. If trying to fold them feels flexible or somewhat soft, it means that they are not as fresh as they should be. You should not buy carrots that are dry at the end of the roots or greenish at the top. They have probably received too much sun and their taste tends to be somewhat bitter Those who prefer to buy them with the green leaves from the top should make sure they are firm and that they are a deep green shade. But always keep in mind that carrots that are packed for sale The leaves without the leaves last considerably longer fresh than those that are sell with them.

After purchased, the carrots are stored in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic bags. It is best to be careful not to store them next to apples, pears or peaches, as these produce certain fumes that considerably alter the flavor of carrots. To freeze carrots they must first undergo a simple procedure in order to keep them better. Small-sized carrots are chosen, the rind is scraped off and they are placed in boiling water for six to eight minutes. Then they are soaked for a moment in cold water, and cut into pieces of a quarter of an inch (just over 1/2 cm). Before putting them in the freezer they are placed in a tightly closed plastic bag.

Nutritional value

Carrots contain vitamin B1, B2 and C, calcium and iron. They are also very rich in a substance called carotene which, after it is ingested, is transformed into vitamin A. A single carrot daily provides the body with all the amount it needs of this vitamin, essential for growth, good vision and to maintain vision. healthy tissues and free from any infection.

It is not advisable to remove the skin from carrots with a knife. If possible it should be left, as it contains a large part of vitamins and minerals. But if it is necessary to remove it, it is best to do it with a legume peeler to preserve the nutritional substances that are next to the skin.

Some options for cooking carrots

When the carrots are prepared for cooking, the skin of the tender ones is rubbed and the skin of the toughest ones scraped off. The ends are then cut off. They can be left whole or cut lengthwise or in pieces. They are cooked in an inch (2/2 cm) of salted water (at the rate of half a teaspoon of salt per cup of water) until soft.

Baby carrots take less time to soften than ready-made carrots, and carrots soften earlier when cut into pieces. They can also be cut into very thin strips and cooked in boiling water for five minutes. A few drops of lemon added the cooking water serves to enhance its flavor and preserve its color. Orange rind or cooking herbs are sometimes used to slightly modify its flavor.

To make the raw carrots that are going to be used in a salad very crisp, they are cut into small sticks and placed in water with a little salt and some ice cubes. They are stored in the refrigerator for several hours before serving. One pound of carrots is enough for about five normal-size servings. There are many different ways to prepare carrots. One of them is to cut them into slices and cook them over low heat with a little butter or margarine in a covered casserole. The casserole is stirred from time to time, and you have to wait until all the butter has been absorbed. Then add salt and a little water (just to cover them) and cook over low heat until soft. They are served with the remaining cooking liquid, garnished with chopped parsley.

Another way to cook them is to melt butter or margarine in a saucepan and add the carrots with sugar and a little salt. Then water is added to cover half of the carrots, and it is cooked over low heat without the lid, moving the casserole from time to time. When the carrots are soft, they are removed, and the heat is raised a little so that the liquid boils quickly. As soon as it has been reduced to a thick sugaryness, the carrots are put back into it, some first and others later until they are well covered with the sugar. It is served hot.

For another way to cook them with sugar, they are first boiled until soft. Then they are put in a deep frying pan with butter or margarine, brown sugar and a little orange juice. They are heated over low heat until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. They are left for five more minutes on the fire and served hot.

Source:https://cedarcirclefarm.org/tips/entry/how-to-thin-carrots