Root Awakenings

It was April, and we were hosting a holiday dinner. I brought out the roasted carrots and ran back to the kitchen to get the other dishes. When I returned to the dining room, everyone was exclaiming how delicious the carrots were, demanding my recipe. “I didn’t do anything special,” I said sheepishly. “I just got them at the farmers market.”

 

What made these carrots special was the time of year. Winter carrots, which mature in the ground during the cold months, are some of the sweetest carrots you’ll ever eat. These root vegetables convert starches to sugar when the temperature falls below freezing.

 

We’re lucky here in the River Towns. Local farmers like Stephanie Spock and John Squicciarino of Rolling Hills Farm in Delaware Township stagger their carrot plantings from February to September to provide their customers with carrots year-round. “Each season is different,” explains Squicciarino, “but the deep winter carrots are special because they are so sweet.” Rolling Hills Farm grows spring carrots, too, which you’ll see at the market in May, with fresh green tops still attached.

 

Fortunately, carrots store extremely well. If you keep them in the high-humidity refrigerator drawer in a plastic bag, they will last for months. Farmer John Crooke of Tinicum CSA in Uhlerstown explains the science behind this. “Carrots are biennial, flowering the year after planted, which is why they store so well in your fridge. They’re still alive and planning to send out a flower head next year.”

 

Most people know that carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. Because heat helps release beta-carotene, cooked carrots deliver up to 40 percent more of this nutrient than raw carrots. Carrots also provide fiber, vitamin C, and potassium, as well as vitamin B6, folate, calcium, and magnesium.

 

Preparing carrots is incredibly simple. I prefer steaming because it preserves more nutrients and keeps the texture. Wash and scrub the carrots, then cut into bite-size chunks. Cook for ten to twelve minutes until fork-tender, drain and toss with butter, salt and pepper. Another delicious method is to melt butter in a pan with maple syrup and raisins, then pour over the steamed carrots, mix and serve immediately. If roasting, toss with good olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake at 400 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes. The cooking time depends on the size of the pieces so keep an eye on them and use a fork to check the doneness.

 

Carrots are so basic that home cooks often overlook them in favor of more exotic vegetables. Locally grown carrots keep well and are always available as a quick weeknight side dish.