This was a banner year for my carrot crop! The longest carrot I have ever grown was a whopping 3 inches long. This year, I had one that came close to 5 inches!! This is very exciting for the kids. Especially since the last Curious George episode they watched was all about George planting carrots and picking some giant ones out of the soil.
Annabelle was especially interested in pulling them out of the ground and asking taking a big bite, soil bits and all. Now, here is another topic of discussion…should my 2 1/2 year old be eating dirt? Yes, absolutely! The beneficial microbes in the soil add good things to her developing microbiome.
The real reason I grow carrots and beets is for their greens. Both are hugely nutrient dense and very easy to incorporate into sauces, smoothies or salads. Of course I use my dream blender…aka, the Vitamix to aid in this task. Many people believe that the carrot tops are not edible. Not true! Home grown carrot tops are highly beneficial.
DID YOU KNOW?
These greens are packed with chlorophyll, a phytochemical that gives plants their green colour and pigmentation. Chlorophyll is an excellent source of magnesium, which promotes healthy blood pressure as well as strong bones and muscles, and has been noted to purify the blood, lymph nodes and adrenal glands
They are high in potassium, which can lower blood pressure, support your metabolism, and help prevent osteoporosis. People most at risk for heart disease are the ones who get too little potassium.
What’s more, carrot greens are rich in vitamin K, which is lacking in the carrot itself and is vital to bone health. They have also been noted to deter tumour growth.
Carrot greens contain alkaloids (which are toxic bitter compounds produced by a plant) and all alkaloids are bad because substances like caffeine and cocaine are alkaloids. BUT! – all leafy greens (including “good for you” greens like spinach and kale) contain varying levels and types of alkaloids, some higher than others. Alkaloids are chemical compounds believed to be part of a plant’s defence mechanisms.
This site also contributes other carrot top recipes.
I use these itty bitty carrots and a handful of tops in our morning smoothie.
This morning our smoothie recipe consisted of raw carrots, carrot tops, raw celery,
a naval orange, green tipped banana
and frozen pitted cherries. I add about 1 1/2 cups of filtered water, great lakes gelatin, cinnamon, fresh ginger and tumeric.
It makes four servings. The boys snatched theirs before I could get a picture.
It was a big hit this morning!
The girls had soaked and soured gluten free oats with blueberries, raw milk yogurt and sprouted sunflower seeds.
The boys had two pastured eggs scrambled in coconut oil with raw cheddar cheese and fermented carrot pickles on the side
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