Thursday, June 20, 2013

What To Do With Those Carrot Greens?!

I had to thin my carrots today.  I am something of an equal opportunity gardener.  I sowed ample carrots seeds, in hopes that some would take.  A lot took.  And now I am stuck because the way I see it is that they all fought to be there and they did such a good job of growing so beautiful and green - who am I to choose who goes and who stays?
But it had to be done - otherwise come harvest, I would have no carrots at all.
As I sat in the dirt and wood chips, thinning, I was thinking how pretty and green the tiny carrot tops were.  Some had very tiny new carrots already, white and thin and covered in earth.  I could not possibly throw these little beauties into the compost pile.
This is what I gathered during the first phase of thinning:

 
This is what the carrot bed looks like after thinning (yes, I am aware I need to do more thinning).

 
From what I read from multiple sources, carrot greens are controversial.  Some folks argue they are toxic, others praise their high levels of vitamin K and chlorophyll.  I guess you can decide for yourself if eating carrot greens are for you.  We tossed them in the blender with an apple and some coconut water for a really yummy smoothie. :) 
And we are all still alive.  They are not something that I would eat every day because of their high levels of alkaloids (many greens contain alkaloids), but I will definitely take advantage of what I grow for the season and consume every part of my carrot crop! 
If you are wondering what they taste like...well, kind of like carrots, but in a leafy green sort of way.  These delicate fronds would be a super refreshing addition to a salad or tossed into a chicken quinoa soup!

What will you do with your carrot greens?

Cheers!!

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