Carrots galore, what to do?

[griddler]

It is a couple weeks before deer season in SE Michigan, and although deer baiting is illegal in Michigan, the local gas stations are selling 50# bags of carrots for 5 dollars. I picked up a bag, and while they are definitely seconds in appearance (too big too small etc.) the quality in terms of freshness and taste is great. Preserving mass quantities of carrots with little or no taste is not my goal. I am looking for recipes that are interesting or could be used for entertaining. Since the cost of the carrots is relatively inconsequential, I am looking for preserving recipes with interesting flavors. I canned over 60 quarts of Bloody Mary mix this fall, and compared to to the tomato juice we used to can, we are going through it faster than we thought possible. I would like to find fun and interesting things to do with all these carrots. I have found some basic pickled carrot recipes, but they seem to be similar to pickled beets, just change the vegetable. Since I have a couple rows of beets in the garden waiting to be harvested, I would rather do something different. Any help with new or interesting pickling/preserving recipes using carrots would be greatly appreciated.

[Kouign Aman]

halwah? Its not a preserve, but a dessert which goes thru incredible numbers of carrots in a hurry

[KarenDW]

Carrot, pear & ginger chutney or marmalade?

[KatieLoeb]

Find some good carrot soup recipes and freeze up a bunch. It'll make the winter pass by warmly...

[DanM]

The Lee Brothers have a great recipe in Simple Fresh Southern for carrots pickled with shallots and celery seeds. The book is worth it just for this recipe.

On another topic. Any thoughts on carrot tops? I buy them regularly from the farmers market and never figured out what to do with the greens.

Dan

[Chris Amirault]

I always choose the carrots first when I am snacking on jalapeño pickles.

[heidih]

I always choose the carrots first when I am snacking on jalapeño pickles.

Yes! Barbara Tropp in her China Moon book has a great recipe for spicy pickled carrots that reminds me of the carrots in the jalapeno pickles.

[andiesenji]

The link for this recipe arrived in my mailbox back in February and I made a batch of it.

I used it up within a few weeks and meant to make another batch but it slipped my mind.

Carrot Marmalade

I'm so glad you brought this up as now I am going to make another batch.

I plan on adding a bit of ginger in my next batch, to give it a bit of "kick."

Edited October 20, 2010 by andiesenji (log)

[Doodad]

The tops are not the tastiest thing to eat in my opinion.

Look up Morrocan carrots. It is a great hot side dish and simple to make. Could easily keep in the freezer.

[djyee100]

A recipe for carrot marmalade from the Shakers, who always had tons of vegs and fruit to preserve. I've never tried this marmalade, but that carrot-orange combo should taste good. Or you could make a batch of carrot-orange soup, which I have cooked with tasty results.

Shaker Carrot Marmalade: In a large saucepan combine 3 cups pared, chopped, cooked carrots; 2 TB grated lemon rind; 1/3 cup lemon juice; 3 TB grated orange rind; 1/2 cup orange juice; 6 cups sugar. Cook slowly for 45 mins or until it jells when you test it. Skim off any foam, pour into sterilized containers & seal. Yield about 1 quart. My adapted recipe from The Best of Shaker Cooking by Amy Bess Miller and Persis Fuller.

For something more exotic, you can try the Parsi Wedding Pickle from Niloufer King's My Bombay Kitchen. It's on Googlebooks, page 238:

http://books.google.com/books?id=mvECWRx4SkkC&pg=PA238&lpg=PA238&dq=niloufer+king+pickle+parsi+wedding+feast&source=bl&ots=_M74bmapJ3&sig=nfVvz_Ug6hsPopDi1UpjN6jVZVI&hl=en&ei=S4C_TILTM4qksQOx6IH_BA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

I've never tried that recipe. I did cook a simpler Parsi-style carrot pickle with dried fruit some years ago. Delicious, and also quite spicy. It paired well with a coconut milk curry.

[Shalmanese]

Thomas Keller's Carrot Soup goes through a rather large number of carrots for a small, concentrated volume of soup that should freeze well. You need a juicer though.

[judiu]

Carrot and raisin salad with pineapple and a touch of cinnamon. Doesn't keep well, but always popular at potlucks...

[kayb]

I make a marinated carrot salad with cauliflower and occasionally raw turnips that I like; I suspect you could can it and it would serve as pickled carrots. You'd need to fiddle with the quantities, to get enough brine to cover the carrots. I use this brine for cole slaw as well.

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Heat to boiling and pour over whatever veggies you're using. Keeps forever in the fridge, and as I said, I expect you could can it.

[annachan]

When I buy too many carrots, I often make carrot soup. Just some carrots and onion in chicken broth. When the vegetables are soft, I blend the soup with an immersion blender. Season with salt, cumin, sometimes a little curry and sometimes a little garam marsala. If you like ginger, some fresh or ground would be good. Then I add a little milk/cream (whatever I have on hand) and put it back on the stove for a few minutes. This is something that you can freeze easily.

For a simple side dish, I cut the carrots into thin matchsticks, along with some similar size celery and onion, put into a saucepan with a little chicken stock and a little salt. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender. Toss with some sesame oil and serve.

[Jaymes]

You might try perusing this thread:

Carrots

And this one:

Carrots