{"id":105450,"date":"2015-05-03T22:59:09","date_gmt":"2015-05-03T12:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=105450"},"modified":"2015-05-03T23:00:39","modified_gmt":"2015-05-03T13:00:39","slug":"carrots-are-tops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/05\/03\/carrots-are-tops\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrots Are Tops"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>May 3, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Jason Ford<\/strong>
\nFord on Food<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Carrots have the unenviable status of being common; so they are often taken for granted.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Which is a pity, because they have wide culinary versatility, great nutritional value, are inexpensive and indispensable in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Did you know there are over one hundred varieties of carrot species?<\/p>\n

There are a range of colours available – I personally have cooked with white, yellow, orange, pink, red and purple carrots.<\/p>\n

When carrots are pulled from the ground while they are still tiny, they are referred to as baby (or new season) carrots.<\/p>\n

Baby carrots are tender, don’t need to be peeled and are wonderful eaten raw in salads (although they are also amazing saut\u00e9ed in butter).<\/p>\n

The larger, mature carrots are a little more fibrous and best grated if eaten raw but are usually cooked to make them tender.<\/p>\n

As carrots mature, they take on a more sweet and savoury flavour profile and add a depth of flavour and savoury body to stocks, soups, stews or braises.<\/p>\n

Carrots can be boiled, steamed, pureed, roasted, fried in tempura batter or simply eaten raw as a snack.<\/p>\n

They can also be eaten in desserts, such as carrot cake and muffins.<\/p>\n

Carrots are also popular in healthy vegetable juices as they contain high levels of Vitamin A, Carotene, Vitamin C and antioxidants.<\/p>\n

Carrots can be stored in the refrigerator for many weeks, however if they are kept too long they may become limp or start growing roots.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Carrot and Chickpea Soup<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n