 Small, miniature-sized carrots that offer convenience and ease of use as a vegetable. Baby carrots are available in several styles. Prepared carrots that are ready to eat out of the bag are one option available, making this vegetable a quick and easy snack or a good choice for use on an appetizer tray. Prepared baby carrots are not grown as small carrots, but are actually long, narrow carrots that are cut and shaped into the smaller size.
 The carrot is derived from a wild carrot with a white root called queen Anne’s lace. Old carrot varieties come in many colors, including yellow, dark red, white, and purple.
Health Benefits: Carrots are a rich source of vitamin A, carotenoids, and sugar. As a root crop, carrots are second only to beets in sweetness. They also contain B vitamins, phosphorus, iodine, calcium, and the phenol coumarin, which helps prevent blood clotting and has anticancer properties.
Use: From soups to salads, from juice to cakes, carrots figure so prominently in our daily fare that it is hard to imagine life without them. Because the nutrients in carrots are concentrated in and near their skin, use them unpeeled. If the carrot is so old that the skin looks unappealing, then compost the carrot. When fresh and young, the nutrient-rich carrot greens may be finely chopped and sautéed for a condiment or may be added to stir-fries and soups. Remove and discard the more fibrous stem first. Dried or fresh, carrot tops may be used like a strong-flavored parsley.
 A perennial favorite health drink, the fresh juice of carrots is excellent for liver rejuvenation and cleansing. The juice is more medicinal in action when taken on an empty stomach. Carrot juice applied directly to burns aids in their healing.
Use in moderation, as carrot juice is a refined food. This surprises people, especially those who like to juice their own carrots. But consider how many carrots go into one glass of juice and how much pulp remains. In a few gulps the juice is gone. Imagine cramming that many whole carrots into your stomach in the same amount of time it takes to drink their juice. While whole carrots don't raise blood sugar because their fiber slows digestion, carrot juice is a liquid form of simpler sugars, and it does raise blood sugar. Therefore, when serving it to children, dilute it first; and the next time you drink it, notice the rush of energy it gives.
 Red, yellow, green and purple - are rainbow carrots the way of the future? Perhaps, but they could more accurately be called the carrots of the past because they have a long history. Purple and yellow carrots were grown as many as 1,000 years ago in Asia and Western Europe, although selective breeding programs to produce such colors for commercial purposes are fairly recent. Carrots are now regularly bred in purple, red, yellow and white, in addition to orange, and scientists say that there is added nutritional benefit to choosing a colorful vegetable over a more conventional one.
Red carrots have extra lycopene, which is also found in tomatoes and is believed to lower blood pressure and help to reduce the risk of some cancers. Yellow carrots promote eye health with beta-carotene-like pigments, and purple carrots have powerful antioxidants.
 Convenient size perfect for cooking and juicing.
 Peeled, washed and ready to munch! Perfect for lunchbox, snack, munching.
These baby yellow carrots are sweet and delicious (taste exactly like regular carrots) and add color and crunch to any salad or can be sautéed for a side dish. Also lovely as a snack or crudités platter.
 The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable related to the carrot. Parsnips resemble carrots, but are paler and have a stronger flavour. Parsnips can be boiled, roasted or used in stews, soups and casseroles. In some cases, the parsnip is boiled and the solid portions are removed from the soup or stew, leaving behind a more subtle flavour than the whole root and contributing starch to thicken the dish.
from Rebecca Wood's The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia |
