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Freeze Carrots: Raw or Cooked

Carrots freeze very well. In these instructions, we will show you how easy it is to do and what you need to consider before and after freezing.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when freezing carrots:

Only use carrots that are in good condition. They shouldn’t have any bad spots and should still be crisp. Freshly harvested carrots are best.
You can also freeze baby carrots. However, their taste could be softened.
Bunched carrots are best, especially medium-sized ones. These preserve the flavor best and you can freeze them with relatively little effort.

Freezing carrots: this is how it works

Prepare the carrots for freezing:

Thoroughly wash and peel the carrots, or scrape them with a knife. Then cut off the two end pieces. Tip: In principle, you can also freeze unpeeled carrots. But if you peel them beforehand, you will save yourself work later.
If you want, you can also cut the carrots into small slices. So you can process them directly when you take them out of the freezer.
Blanch the carrots before freezing them. Add the carrots to unsalted, boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes. Of course you can also freeze raw or cooked carrots, but they won’t last as long.
Meanwhile, fill a bowl with cold water and some ice cubes. Place the carrots in the ice water for about 2 minutes. As a result, the carrots do not continue to cook and remain nice and crunchy.
If you have cut the carrots, place the pieces next to each other on a flat surface (e.g. on a baking sheet) and put it in the freezer for about an hour. This will prevent the pieces from freezing together.
It is often recommended to use cling film or freezer bags as containers for frozen vegetables. In order to avoid unnecessary plastic waste, however, we recommend that you do without it. Instead, you can use sealable stainless steel cans.


Alternatively, you can use thick-walled jars or cotton bags for plastic-free freezing. Don’t overfill the jars or they may burst.
Frozen carrots will keep in the freezer for at least six months, blanched carrots for around nine months.

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Boil Carrots: That’s Why It’s Better Than Eating Them Raw

When you cook carrots, you ensure that your body can better utilize the healthy nutrients. Here you can find out what else you should consider when preparing carrots.

Vitamins and nutrients in carrots – It depends on the cooking

Carrots taste wonderful in a salad or as a snack between meals. But did you know that their valuable ingredients can be utilized even better by your body with the right preparation method?

A study conducted in Sweden in 2012 examined how the availability of the healthy, fat-soluble carotene varies depending on how it is prepared. The conclusion was that both adding fat and cooking the carrots made the valuable ingredients easier for the body to utilize. Above all, however, chopping the vegetables has a positive effect on availability, as reported by ZEIT online.

According to the study, around three percent of the carotene in whole or roughly chopped carrots passes into the gastric juice.
By cooking, the amount can be increased to six percent.
By adding additional oil, the value increased to eight percent.
However, if the carrots were strained or grated before consumption, the value increased many times over: the availability of beta-carotene in boiled and grated carrots increased to a full 27 percent. With additional oil, the value even increased to 45 percent.

Boil the carrots or cook them in a sieve

In order to preserve as many of the healthy ingredients in the carrots as possible during cooking, you should cook them as gently as possible. That’s how it’s done:

Using a vegetable brush and water, scrub the carrots thoroughly to free them from soil.
Cut off the base of the leafy greens and the carrot into small pieces – as you need them for the dish.
Just barely cover the vegetables in the pot with water. The carrots don’t have to be completely immersed in water to cook, as the vitamins are lost in large quantities in the cooking water.
Steam cooking with a sieve insert is even gentler. This allows the carrots to lie in the sieve without coming into contact with the cooking water. Vitamins and nutrients are optimally preserved. Make sure to close the pot and sieve insert with a suitable lid. This will ensure that the steam cooks the carrots properly.
The cooking time in the sieve insert is slightly longer than when cooking in water. Depending on the size of the pieces, carrots require between 10 and 15 minutes. Before the time is up, test your carrots for consistency by puncturing them with a sharp knife. Anything you like is allowed! If you prefer your carrots to be soft, let them cook a little longer. If you like them crispier, shorten the time accordingly.


Season the carrots with as little salt as possible. Salt removes water from the carrots and thus the healthy nutrients.
Tip: Use carrots from organic farming. It has been scientifically proven that organic vegetables and fruit contain more vitamins than conventionally farmed vegetables. Enjoy your meal!

 

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Carotenoids: This is How You Get Them, Not Just From Carrots

Carotenoids are natural pigments that give carrots their orange color. They are also essential nutrients. Here you can find out what they can do and where you can find carotenoids.

Carotenoids and Vitamin A

Carotenoids are a whole group of phytochemicals. According to the medical portal DocCheck, over 1,000 different carotenoids are known in the plant world. The plant substance is fat-soluble pigments that color plants from yellow to red. The color of fruit or vegetables gives you an indication that they might contain carotenoids. Yellow, orange or red fruits and vegetables are usually rich in carotenoids.

But there are exceptions. Carotenoids can also be found in green leafy vegetables. Here the green leaf pigment covers the reddish carotenoids.

Of the numerous carotenoids in the plant kingdom, six are vital for the human organism:

  • alpha and beta carotene
  • lycopene
  • lutein
  • cryptoxanthine
  • zeaxanthin

Carotenoids – here they are contained everywhere

Of the carotenoids, beta-carotene is the most common in our food. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) explains that the body can process beta-carotene most easily.

You can find beta-carotene in a variety of different vegetables and fruits. According to the DGE, the following foods are good sources of the plant substance:

Vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes or squash.
Fruit: apricots, honeydew melon, but also persimmons or persimmons.
Leafy greens: kale, spinach, or lamb’s lettuce.
These vegetables also contain essential carotenoids:

Tomatoes: they mainly contain lycpoin.
Paprika or chili: here the carotenoid capsanthin not only provides the color but also the spiciness. You can use the hot chilies in a peach chutney with tomatoes, for example.
Maize or einkorn: Maize and the ancient grain einkorn contain zeaxanthin. You can make a protein-rich snack yourself from roasted corn.
With these recipe ideas you bring the healthy carotenoids to the table:

Stuffed Pumpkin: A recipe with spinach and feta
Kale: vegetarian recipe ideas to cook at home
Tomato and polenta casserole: A simple recipe
Paprika vegetable recipe: This is how you prepare it deliciously
Oil or fat is an important ingredient when preparing meals containing carotenoids. Carotenoid is a fat-soluble plant compound. The fats make it easier for the body to absorb the substances. According to the DGE, 2.4 to five grams of fat per meal are sufficient. Fry the vegetables with a little oil or serve creamy quark with the fruit salad. The vegan solution is to add some linseed oil to the dressing.

The carotenoids are essential nutrients

Carotenoids are an essential nutrient for humans. The body needs the plant substances, among other things as a precursor for the vital vitamin A (retinol). The medicine portal Netdoktor explains that vitamin A is important for healthy bones, teeth and eyes. It is further involved in the structure of the skin and plays a role in the development of the fetus during pregnancy.

To ensure an adequate supply of the important vitamin A, the human body has two options:

Carotenoids from plant food – They are a precursor, also called provitamin A. The body then uses it to build vitamin A itself.
Get vitamin A from foods of animal origin. The organism of animals also builds vitamin A from carotenoids in vegetable feed. That is why ready-made vitamin A is already contained in cheese, milk or meat products, for example.

Carotenoids are much more than just a precursor to vitamin A. They themselves are also involved in important functions in the body:

One study found that the retina of the eye contains carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene is also necessary for vision.
Carotenoids strengthen the immune system and act as antioxidants. They help keep body cells intact. This is what DocCheck calls beta-carotene or lycopene in connection with cancer prevention. Studies indicate, for example, that lycopene could reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
Carotenoids are part of the human pigment melanin and are therefore involved in the formation of the color of skin, hair and eyes. The pigmentation acts as a natural protection against UV rays.

Carotenoids in a vegan diet

The body can usually cover its vitamin A requirements well with the carotenoids from plant-based food. The DGE explains that there are no thanks for a vegan diet and healthy fat digestion.

But there are exceptions: If fat digestion is disturbed or you have problems with the pancreas, you should seek medical advice to be on the safe side. This also applies if you have an increased need for nutrients, for example if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Oversupply and undersupply of carotenoids

Don’t worry about oversupply. The DGE explains that too much carotenoid from natural sources is hardly possible. In addition, no health risks were found when carotenoids were ingested through vegetables and fruit. For this reason there is no limiting value.

On the other hand, there is a maximum amount for beta-carotene as a coloring agent (E 160a). It can be added to foods such as fruit juices, butter, margarine or cheese. The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has set a minimum amount per day for this. The tolerable amount is six to 15 milligrams a day.

The DGE also points out that improper intake of high-dose vitamin A or beta-carotene in food supplements can cause long-term vitamin A intoxication (poisoning) with liver damage.

Vitamin A deficiency is extremely rare. According to the DGE, a deficiency in our latitudes can usually only be caused by illness. For example, in the case of chronic intestinal diseases or severe burns, the body has an increased need for vitamin A. Symptoms that can indicate a deficiency are very dry skin and mucous membranes as well as loss of appetite or night blindness.

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Vegan Biryani: Recipe for the Rice Dish with Zucchini and Carrots

Preparing biryani vegan is not difficult: You simply add some vegetables to the Asian rice stir-fry. We will introduce you to a biryani recipe and explain what you should pay attention to.

Biryani is a rice dish that comes from Asia. The dish is particularly popular in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The word “biryani” comes from Persian and means something like “fried”. The rice stir-fry is often prepared with meat, but you can make biryani vegan by adding your choice of vegetables, nuts or tofu to the rice.

We recommend looking for organic quality when buying the ingredients. This is how you avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides. Rice often comes from Southeast Asia and uses a lot of water to grow. Then there are the long transport routes to Europe. Rice that was grown in Europe (e.g. in Italy) is therefore ecologically more advisable. If you do use rice from countries further away, we recommend looking out for the fair trade seal. In this way you guarantee that manufacturers have observed human and labor rights during the production process and the long delivery routes.

Vegan Biryani: Recipe for the rice dish

Ingredients:

300 ml water
200 g basmati rice
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp curry spice
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika spice (sweet)
1carrot
1Zucchini
1 piece ginger (thumb size)
1 clove(s) garlic
1red onion
2 tablespoons oil
50 g cashew nuts

Directions:

Start cooking the rice. Put it in a pot with the water. Add salt and the spices. Let it gently simmer for five to ten minutes. It shouldn’t be raw anymore, but it shouldn’t be fully cooked either.
While the rice is cooking, you can grate the carrot and cut the zucchini into pieces.

Place the vegetables in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let it steep for five minutes. This will lightly pre-cook the carrot and zucchini so that the vegetables are not fried raw. Then drain the water again.

Now cut the ginger and garlic into small pieces as well. Then place the pieces in a mortar and grind them into a paste. This unfolds even more flavors. Tip: If you don’t have a mortar at home, you can also chop the ginger and garlic very small with a knife and press into a paste with the bottom of a spoon.

Gradually add the vegetables and finally the half-cooked rice.

Biryani with peanut sauce

As a dip for biryani, you can stir together a quick peanut sauce. The nutty taste goes very well with the dish. You need the following for this:

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
65 g peanut butter without additives
2 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup (alternatively rice syrup or date syrup)
Juice of half a lime
1 pinch cayenne pepper or chilli powder
2 teaspoons water, as needed
First chop the ginger and garlic. Then mix all the ingredients together and stir them into a smooth sauce. You can garnish the sauce with peanuts or fresh herbs.

Soy sauce also goes well with the rice dish. You can simply pour it over the rice on the plate.

Possible variations for the Biryani

You can not only prepare the rice pan with zucchini and carrots, but also with other types of vegetables. Well suited are, for example, broccoli, peppers or mushrooms. It is best to buy seasonal vegetables that do not come from overseas but grow regionally or within Germany. This protects the climate and reduces CO2 emissions. Our seasonal calendar can help you with that.

In Asia, biryani is often prepared with meat. As a vegan alternative, you can use smoked tofu, for example. Cut the tofu into cubes and fry it in a pan or bake it in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius with top and bottom heat until crispy. Later you can sprinkle it on top of your biryani as a topping.

You can also replace the cashew nuts with other nuts. Peanuts, almonds or walnuts go just as well in biryani. Many nut varieties cannot be grown in Europe and are therefore imported from Africa, among other places. There they are sometimes grown under poor, inhumane working conditions. In order not to support this, you should look for a Fairtrade seal when buying the nuts.

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Make Soft Carrots Crunchy Again – a Simple Trick

Who doesn’t know it: You left carrots for too long and now they’ve gone soft? No problem! This simple trick will make them crunchy again.

If you leave carrots for too long, they will become soft and take on a rubbery texture. Of course, they are still suitable as an ingredient in cooking – but most people simply prefer crunchy carrots in salads or as a raw food snack.

Luckily, there’s a simple trick you can use to refresh soft carrots. Not only do you enhance their taste, but you also avoid potential food waste.

Tip: When buying carrots, make sure that they are organic if possible. You are supporting ecologically more sustainable agriculture that, for example, does not use chemical-synthetic pesticides. Root vegetables such as carrots absorb these pesticides particularly strongly from the soil. The organic seals from Demeter, Naturland and Bioland are particularly recommended.

Make soft carrots crunchy again: Here’s how

Here’s the trick to making soft carrots crunchy again:

Place the carrots in a tall glass.
Fill the jar with cold water so that all the carrots are covered.
Place the jar in the refrigerator or other cool place for at least 8 hours.
After this period of time, you can take them out and enjoy them fresh.

In another article, you will learn how to store carrots correctly so that they can be kept for a long time.

Making carrots crisp again: important tips

Depending on how soft the carrots are, they can take up to 48 hours in water to crisp up again.

Tip: tend to put the carrots in a larger glass, as they often become plumper and therefore more voluminous in the water.

Good to know: You can also freshen up other root vegetables such as radishes or turnips with this trick.

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22 Amazing Facts About Carrots

Carrots are a widespread product all over the world. It is valued not only for its beneficial properties but also for its pleasant taste, rightfully being an ingredient in dishes in the cuisines of various nations of the world. Long centuries of a selection made this vegetable sweet and tasty, although initially people only ate carrot seeds and tops for food.

Harvesting bunch of fresh washed carrot on the old wooden background
  1. It is not known for certain where carrots began their distribution around the world, but most researchers are inclined to believe that they first appeared on the territory of modern Afghanistan.
  2. Until the 17th century, carrots were tough, bitter, and purple. But thanks to the efforts of breeders, it acquired the form that it has now.
  3. Eating large amounts of carrots can change the color of the skin, adding a yellowish-orange tint to it. In the case of birds, the same will happen with plumage.
  4. This root vegetable significantly lowers blood cholesterol levels.
  5. In the USA, in the town of Holleville, once a year there is a carrot festival. What they just don’t do with her – they decorate the city for her, and eat, and throw at targets …
  6. As a result of heat treatment, carrots lose some of the nutrients, but they are better absorbed.
  7. The longest carrot ever grown was 584 centimeters long – almost six meters.
  8. Carrots, if chewed thoroughly, may well replace a toothbrush and toothpaste, perfectly cleaning teeth and gums.
  9. In many European countries, it is considered a fruit, not a vegetable.
  10. Carrot jam is extremely popular in Portugal.
  11. Fried carrots can be used to brew a drink that tastes like coffee.
  12. In nonsmokers, carrots reduce the risk of lung cancer, while in smokers, on the contrary, it increases.
  13. Freshly squeezed carrot juice is very rich in antiseptics, and if consumed regularly, it significantly reduces the risk of a heart attack.
  14. Eating carrots in moderation helps you tan faster in the sun as it speeds up the production of melanin.
  15. The most massive carrot weighing 8.61 kg was grown in the USA, Alaska.
  16. The first officially registered variety of carrots was developed in the 16th century in the Netherlands.
  17. Carrots contain a record amount of vitamin A.
  18. Carrots are the most commonly eaten taproot vegetable.
  19. In India, carrots are an ingredient in many different sweet desserts.
  20. The voice of the popular cartoon character, Bugs Bunny the rabbit, known for his love of carrots, has always said that he hates carrots.
  21. The diet of elephants kept in the zoo includes up to 5 kilograms of carrots daily.
  22. The United States ranks first in the world in the production and processing of this root vegetable, as well as in its consumption per capita per year – the average American annually consumes about 4.8 kilograms of carrots in one form or another.
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Carrots: This is How They Become Crunchy Again

When carrots go soft, there is a very simple trick to make them crunchy again.

With this trick you can get them crispy again!

Only if your carrots already show mold should you not eat them under any circumstances. Softened carrots can be used in a soup or in casseroles, for example.

As a rule, the orange-colored vegetables keep for seven to ten days in the refrigerator. But you should definitely remove the carrots from the plastic packaging immediately after buying them in the supermarket. This ensures that water forms in it, which causes the carrots to go moldy. If the carrots lose their freshness, there is a very simple trick you can use to get them crunchy again:

Place or set the carrots in a large container.
Cover them completely with cold water.
Leave the carrots in the fridge for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.
The next day you can take them out of the water and prepare crunchy carrots.
The cold water ensures that the roots can absorb enough water again. In this way, the carrots regain sufficient moisture and volume. This makes them fresh and crisp again at the end. Since the root vegetables take up more space with the enriched water, you should also choose a container that is large enough.

Tip

A tip at the end: After shopping, you can wrap the root vegetables in a damp cloth at home and put them in the vegetable drawer in the fridge, then the carrots usually stay crisp longer and don’t even have to take a bath in cold water.

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Eat Better: Are Cooked Carrots Healthier?

Carrots are one of the most popular vegetables, and not without reason! But why are cooked carrots healthier? We’ll tell you!

What is the difference between raw and cooked carrots?

The good news first: Whether raw or cooked, carrots definitely are
You should also always add some fat in the form of healthy olive oil, sunflower oil or a little butter during preparation. Because the important ingredient beta-carotene is fat-soluble. So if you add some fat to cooked carrots, you absorb the beta-carotene particularly well. This also applies to raw carrots, by the way. If you eat them uncooked, also eat them with some fat (e.g. hummus) to be able to absorb the vitamins better.

It’s best if you don’t remove the skin from the carrots at all, or only remove them where necessary. Because most of the vitamins are right under the skin. Therefore, always wash the carrots particularly thoroughly to remove smaller soil residues. Our conclusion: If you want to absorb as much of the carrot’s vitamins as possible, then pay particular attention to the correct preparation. So you always get the best of the healthy root vegetables.

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Carrots and Their Nutritional Values: Vitamins, Calories and More

Thanks to their nutritional values, carrots are considered extremely healthy: they are rich in vitamins and minerals, but low in calories. The yellow beets not only provide your body with beta-carotene, but also with many other nutrients.

Carrots are versatile in the kitchen: They are popular as raw vegetables and salads, cooked as an accompaniment to many dishes and pureed to make delicious soups. They make a cake particularly juicy. Even more varied than the preparation options offered by carrots are their nutritional values. Carrots aren’t just “good for the eyes,” as you probably learned from your parents – they do a lot more for your health.

The nutritional values ​​​​of the carrot include many vitamins

Carrots are particularly rich in vitamins. Above all, they are known to contain larger amounts of the provitamin beta-carotene. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which plays an important role in seeing things like light and dark. Carrots are also a good source of numerous other vitamins. According to the Apotheken-Umschau, 100 grams provide the following nutritional values ​​on average:
Folic Acid – 15 mcg (micrograms)
Beta carotene – 9800 mcg
Vitamin B1 – 0.07 mg
Vitamin B2 – 0.05 mg
Vitamin B6 – 0.27 mg
Vitamin E – 0.5 mg
Vitamin C – 7 mg
Because they contain vitamin C, carrots can help boost the immune system against pathogens. This is confirmed, for example, by a study on the health effects of carrot juice. Vitamin A, on the other hand, not only has a positive effect on vision, but is also good for the skin. The same applies to vitamin E. Carrots are said to ensure a healthy complexion, improve skin impurities and prevent skin aging.

The nutritional values ​​of carrots also include antioxidants

With vitamins C and E, carrot nutritional values ​​also include antioxidants. Studies have shown, for example, that carrot juice increases antioxidant levels and can therefore play a role in preventing cancer. Antioxidants protect against free radicals. These are substances that damage the genetic material in the cells if they occur in too large numbers and can thus possibly lead to cancer. Beta carotene also has an antioxidant effect.

Carrots are healthy

Whether raw, cooked or as juice: carrots not only provide vitamins, but also a wide range of different ingredients. They are therefore particularly healthy. Their nutritional values ​​also cover a high proportion of various minerals. According to Apotheken-Umschau, 100 grams contain on average:
Potassium – 330 mg
Sodium – 60 mg
Calcium – 35 mg
phosphate – 35 mg
Magnesium – 15 mg
Iron – 0.4 mg
Zinc – 0.3 mg
In addition, carrots are a high-fiber vegetable: raw, they contain 3.6 grams of fiber per 100 grams. Fiber is good for digestion and blood pressure, among other things.

Carrots have good nutritional values ​​but are low in calories

Basically, carrots are considered a low-calorie vegetable. However, the exact values ​​differ depending on how you prepare them – sometimes even significantly.

According to the nutritional table, 100 grams of fresh carrots have an average of 25 calories.
Carrot juice is also low in calories: With 100 milliliters you consume an average of 22 calories.
The situation is different with dried carrots. As is often the case with dry products, the calorific value here skyrockets to 194 calories per 100 grams.

Do cooked carrots have different nutritional values ​​than raw?

In the case of canned carrots, on the other hand, the calorific value even drops to 14 calories per 100 grams. In principle, cooked carrots have fewer calories than raw ones. Nevertheless, they do not necessarily make you slimmer: For one thing, we often prepare them with oil or butter, which of course increases the calorie count of the entire meal.

On the other hand, the so-called glycemic index (GI) is higher in cooked carrots than in raw vegetables. The glycemic index measures the effect of carbohydrate-containing foods on the blood sugar level: the more sugar they bring into the blood, the higher the corresponding value. Raw carrots have a GI of just 16, while cooked carrots have a GI of 49. While that’s still considered low, the difference is still noticeable.

However, the validity of the glycemic index is controversial. For example, the nutritionist Stefan Weigt points out that the measured values ​​always refer to 50 grams of carbohydrates. Because carrots basically contain hardly any carbohydrates, you would have to eat a whopping 800 grams of them to actually get a GI of 49. The measurement results are also often inaccurate and can vary greatly from person to person.

Does Fat Boost Carrot’s Healthy Nutritional Values?

It is often said that carrots can only develop their full health benefits together with oil or butter. It is true that beta-carotene is fat-soluble – which means that the body actually absorbs more of it in combination with fats.

However, a recent study has shown that how thoroughly you chop the vegetables has an even greater impact on the nutritional values. In the experiment, sliced ​​raw carrots released only three percent of their total beta-carotene into the body. Pureed carrots, on the other hand, provided 21 percent and cooked puree (e.g. in the form of soup) as much as 27 percent. However, added oil could increase these nutritional values.

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Wild Carrots: How to Plant, Care For And Use Them

As the archetype of today’s carrot, the wild carrot is also an important food source for insects. The white flowers attract bees, butterflies and beetles. You can read here how to plant the wild carrot and how you can use it.

The wild carrot is the archetype of today’s carrot. It belongs to the umbelliferae family and is widespread in large parts of Europe, North Africa and Asia. It usually grows on roadsides or embankments. You can eat their roots just like those of cultivated carrots, but wild carrots are significantly smaller and less tender. In addition, the wild carrot has a long tradition as a medicinal plant.

Read here how to cultivate wild carrots in your garden and how you can use them.

Wild carrot in your garden

The wild carrot is the archetype of a classic example of old types of vegetables. If you grow them in your garden, you make a double contribution to maintaining the diversity of varieties: in addition to the types of vegetables that you get, the original form of the carrot with its white umbels offers valuable food for insects. According to NABU, the wild carrot is very popular with many insects. These include wild bees, sawflies, bugs, beetles and flies. Some caterpillars, such as those of the swallowtail, particularly value the wild carrot as a food source. It is therefore also a good addition to an insect-friendly garden.

You should consider the following points so that the wild carrot feels comfortable in your garden.

Location: The wild carrot prefers a sunny location, but also thrives in semi-shade.

Floor:
The original form of the carrot is quite adaptable as far as soil conditions are concerned.
In nature, it grows on dry, calcareous and well-drained soils.

Planting and caring for wild carrots

The wild carrot is usually a biennial herbaceous plant. In the first year, it forms its leaves close to the ground, which are arranged in a circle. The wild carrot only flowers in the second year. It grows between 10 and 30 centimeters high. Although the roots contain hardly any carotene and are therefore white instead of orange, their scent is strongly reminiscent of carrots.

If you want to plant wild carrots in your garden, we recommend using organic seeds. In this way you avoid genetic engineering and support the diversity of varieties.

How to plant wild carrots:
The wild carrot is one of the so-called cold germs. It therefore needs a longer cold period at the beginning in order to be able to germinate.
From April you can sow the wild carrot directly into the bed. If you want to cultivate them as a vegetable, a planting distance of about 40 centimeters is recommended. For a wild flower meadow, you can simply scatter the seeds widely.
How to care for the wild carrot:
Until the seeds start to germinate, be sure to keep them moist.
In addition, you only need to water them during long periods of drought.
Since the wild carrot is used to nutrient-poor soil, you do not need to fertilize it.

This is how you use the wild carrot

From a culinary point of view, the wild carrot is particularly valuable because you can use all parts.

Root:
If you want to process the roots of the wild carrot, you should harvest them at the end of the first year. Once the plant has started flowering, the roots become woody and very sharp. In the first year, on the other hand, they store sugar and are particularly sweet.
You can eat them raw or cook them like regular carrots.
leaves and flowers:
You can use the young leaves to prepare wild herb salad, process them like spinach or use them as soup greens.
It is best to harvest the leaves in spring, between April and June, before the stems harden.
The young flowers are also edible. You can use them to decorate dishes. When cooked, they add a pleasant flavor to your dishes.

Fruit:
The fruits or seeds of the plant are rarely used. Basically, you can use them as a spice similar to aniseed or fennel, which come from the same family.
The seeds are ready for harvest from September to October.
Due to its diverse effects, the wild carrot is also considered a medicinal plant. It is traditionally used, among other things, for digestive problems or to regulate menstruation. Here, too, all parts of the plant are used.

According to a study from 2017, the wild carrot also has other healing properties:
antioxidant
anti-inflammatory
conducive to wound healing
hypoglycemic
lowers cholesterol levels.
Tip: If you collect the wild carrot in nature, you can recognize it by its characteristic dark spot in the middle of the light flowers. This spot has also given it the name “carrot”. It is said to attract insects and thus help with pollination. But beware: There are some doubles of the wild plant, such as the poisonous dog parsley, with which you should not confuse the plant.

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