Fresh winter flavors: carrots - includes recipe - Special Issue: Fall/Winter Garden Guide

Sunset, Fall-Winter, 1994 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

HARVESTING CRUNCHY, sweet carrots from the garden is one of the joys of growing vegetables. Plucked straight from the earth, they're more flavorful than any you can buy in the grocery store.

But flavor differs greatly among varieties, and planting time and maturity also affect flavor. In the mild-winter West, early fall is the best time to plant. Carrots achieve their sweetest taste when the last few weeks of growth occur in cool weather. Also, unless a carrot is bred to be harvested young, it won't develop full flavor until mature.

Two ingredients determine a carrot's flavor: sugars and terpenoids (volatile compounds that impart the carrot flavor). Because terpenoids develop earlier than sugars, a carrot that is harvested too young might taste bitter.

Commercial carrot varieties have been developed for uniformity of shape, as well as for color, disease resistance, and ease of harvest. But home gardeners can select a carrot more for flavor than appearance. How do you choose the sweetest ones to grow?

Select a variety by type. Carrots are normally grouped into Chantenay, Danvers, Imperator, Nantes, and Paris Market types; new hybrids blur the definitions.

For flavor, it's difficult to beat a Nantes ('Bolero', 'Fly Away', 'Little Finger', 'Toudo'), characterized by its cylindrical roots. It's not a carrot you'll find in the grocery store, because it's difficult to harvest commercially and doesn't store well.

Chantenay ('Imperial Chantenay', 'Short 'n Sweet') has broad shoulders and strongly tapered tips. It has good flavor, performs in heavy soil, and stores well.

The sweet, round little Paris Market types ('Planet', 'Thumbelina') do well even in containers or in very heavy, shallow, or rocky soil.

'Belgium White', an heirloom variety, is white, mild tasting, and good for stews.

For the widest selection of varieties, order seeds by mail.

GROWING TIPS

Prepare the soil by deeply working in organic matter, but avoid fresh manure, or carrots will develop fine, hairy roots. Soak the bed before planting and scatter seeds thinly on top; cover with 1/4 inch of compost. This keeps soil from crusting, so seeds can punch through.

Germination takes 7 to 14 days. To help keep the tiny seeds moist, you can cover the seedbed with wet burlap just until they germinate.

When seedlings have two or three leaves, thin them to 2 inches apart. Allow carrots to mature fully (usually 60 to 75 days) before harvesting; most kinds don't taste good as baby carrots unless they've been bred for this use, such as 'Caramba'. Varieties that store well can stay in the ground and be pulled as needed through midwinter.

Sweet Mustard Carrots with Pistachios

2 to 2 1/4 pounds small (1/4 to 1/2 in. thick) carrots

1 cup regular-strength chicken broth or water

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1/3 cup coarsely chopped roasted and salted pistachios

Italian parsley sprigs (optional)

Peel or scrub carrots. In a 12-inch frying pan or 5- to 6-quart pan, combine carrots, broth, mustard, sugar, and butter. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover and simmer until carrots are just barely tender when pierced, 5 to 12 minutes, depending on thickness. Uncover and boil over high heat, shaking pan frequently, until sauce forms thick, shiny bubbles; take care not to scorch. Serve. (If making ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day. To warm, add 2 tablespoons water; shake often over medium heat until hot.) Pour carrots and sauce onto a platter, top with pistachios, and garnish with parsley. Serves 8.

Per serving: 117 cal. (37 percent from fat); 2.3 g protein; 4.8 g fat (1.3 g sat.); 18 g carbo.; 303 mg sodium; 3.9 mg chol.