Preparation, uses, and tips
Scrub carrots just before cooking, and peel if desired. To preserve their natural sugars
and sweet flavor, cook carrots in as little liquid as possible. Steaming and baking both help
seal in the flavor. For a vegetable roast, cut carrots on the diagonal, combine with diced turnips, potatoes, and onions, toss with olive oil and rosemary, and bake at 400°F (200°C) until
tender.
Buying and storing tips
Fresh carrots can be found in the produce section of health food stores and supermarkets.
Carrots with the greens still attached have the sweetest flavor; make sure the greens are
crisp and fresh looking. Look for firm, bright carrots, without cracks on the sides or sprouts
where the green tops have been removed. Remove the greens about two inches (5.08cm) above the
carrots and store, tightly sealed, for three to five days.
Varieties and forms
Besides the long, cylindrical, orange variety, carrots also come in stubby oval shapes,
tender baby (bunched), and in white and yellow varieties that are harder to find but worth the
search.
Nutrition Highlights
Carrots (raw), 1 medium
Calories: 26
Protein: 0.63g
Carbohydrate: 6.18g
Total Fat: 0.116g
Fiber: 1.83g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin A (17,158
IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular
nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good
source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily
Value.