Overwhelmed with Carrots!

Every week we get a huge bag of carrots from our CSA, and we are not eating them... for some reason roasted carrots are just not what I want in the summer. I have put them many places where they do not belong (don't be dirty, I mean snuck into recipes and visitor's purses), made carrot cake... my question is... is there an ideal way to store them for later, like when we have no CSA... blanch & freeze??? or is there a faux root cellar setup I can create????

Posted by: Aliwaks
September 4, 2014

3758 views
21 Comments

21 Comments

drbabs September 8, 2014

Do you have a juicer? Carrot juice uses tons of carrots; it's great when made with a little ginger and apple or orange. And what about Dan Barber's Carrot Cutlet?
http://www.thestar.com/life/food_wine/2014/07/31/dan_barbers_third_plate_wants_us_to_rethink_our_dinner.html

Uncle J. September 8, 2014

Julienne a bunch of carrots, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and good Spanish paprika. Roast in a 425 degree oven till the soften, about 15-20 minutes. They are like candy. I have trouble getting them to the table because everyone wants them as soon as they come out of the oven.

Pegeen September 8, 2014

Are the carrots used up yet? If not, Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa by Cordelia:
https://food52.com/recipes/1097-moroccan-carrot-salad-with-harissa

Pegeen September 8, 2014

How to make your own Harissa or your own riff on it:
https://food52.com/recipes/6388-harissa

THE M. September 7, 2014

Prepare my "Minted carrot and celery soup"

ARay September 6, 2014

Hi friends, I thought of one, a carrot purée, from Alice Waters' art of simple food. Peel & slice, boil til soft, and and add a little sauteed garlic and onion, then mash roughly (as you would potatoes). She adds caraway seeds, cumin seeds, lemon juice salt. Happy carroting :)

Susan W. September 7, 2014

Great idea. I'll bet it's so pretty. I love her recipes.

Brady K. September 5, 2014

You can always rough cut them and freeze them, then use them later for mirepoix or stock.

Bevi September 5, 2014

Yotam's roasted carrots are spectacular. http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2013/10/17/roasted-carrots-with-cumin-and-coriander/

AntoniaJames September 5, 2014

I've been making a lot of this carrot soup, which requires 1.25 pounds for four servings - deeply flavored, brilliant in color and it freezes well! (I'd add the dairy separately, if using, after defrosting.) It can be doubled or tripled, easily. https://food52.com/recipes/30665-very-cool-delightfully-gingery-carrot-soup So, so easy to make. Add extra freshly-ground black pepper when serving after freezing. ;o)

lem M. September 5, 2014

Most root vegetables (including carrots and beets) can be stored pretty well (i.e. for a couple of months) buried inside a box filled with sand and kept in a cool, dark place. Never did this myself, but various relatives do – I’m sure googling will yield some precise instructions.

Susan W. September 4, 2014

I bought a ton (well, ten) beautiful eggplants at the farmer's market. I cubed them up, tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Then I roasted them for 12 minutes at 400° which is half the time I usually roast them for. Then I put them in big Ziploc bags and froze them flat. It worked perfectly. I can break off what I want for any use and by the time they defrost and are heated, they are cooked perfectly. I think you could do the same with carrots. This winter, you can add them to stews, roasts and other roasted vegetables.

nutcakes September 4, 2014

I don't know about your question, hopefully someone will answer, but I will mention a dish suitable for summer-- a nice salad is *very thinly* sliced carrot, done with a food processor or mandoline, dressed with white wine vinaigrette, tons of grated fresh ginger, thinly sliced green onion and let chill. Top with a heavy dose of toasted sesame seeds. I make a very large batch for a potluck or BBQ and it is a hit.

Aliwaks September 4, 2014

Great suggestions all...thank you

sfmiller September 4, 2014

I'm another fan of grated carrot salads. They're refreshing in summer, and readily customizable by switching out different herbs and acids and playing with other seasonings (I like particularly like sherry vinegar, cumin, and minced shallot). And small children will eat them (or at least mine did, back when they were small).

Or how about making a carrot soup base, but with only about half the usual amount of liquid; puree and freeze? Then all you need to do for carrot soup is thaw, heat, and thin.

dinner A. September 4, 2014

Also, as long as it's not too hot to use the oven, this roasted carrot and avocado salad, with citrus dressing and yogurt (scroll to the bottom of the post for the recipe), is served cool and has bright flavors that might be more appealing in summer than more classic roasted carrot preparations:
http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2014/06/hotels/
It has lots of parts, but I've made a more stripped down version that still had the same appeal.

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dinner A. September 4, 2014

Try the classic French grated (raw) carrot salad. It's very simple, delicious, and satisfying. David Lebovitz has good instructions here:
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/carottes-rapee/

Nuala September 4, 2014

I second this suggestion-- in fact, I'm eating it for lunch right now. I usually double the recipe because it goes so quickly in our house. Simple, and so delicious!

HalfPint September 4, 2014

Make hot sauce like this one, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/habanero-hot-sauce/

Nancy September 4, 2014

I've found shredding and freezing a good technique. In bags or plastic boxes. Allows you to defrost quantity you need & use in baking or savory dishes. Lasts 10-12 months.

EmilyC September 4, 2014

Pickle them! They should keep for at least a month that way. This Gramercy Tavern treatment sounds great: https://food52.com/blog/10885-how-to-make-fridge-pickles-without-a-recipe

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Overwhelmed with Carrots!

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