We grew carrots and broccoli. Here are a few things about our carrot experience:

1. On thinning.  We did not thin the carrot plants that came up. So some are shaped like corkscrews because they fought with each other for space underground.
2. On storing in water in the fridge.  My husband harvested a bunch of carrots, and I didn’t know what to do with them to store them. So I washed some of them and put them in a bag of water in the refrigerator. They kept that way for about a month. After one month, they slimed, inside and out.  Luckily, it was my husband’s hands which found that out and not mine.
3.  On storing in a bowl in the fridge.  Some carrots I didn’t put in bags but just washed and stored in the fridge in a bowl.  They just shriveled.
3. Ground storage.  We still have about half of our carrots in the ground. This seems to be the best place to store them for now. Then, I will have my husband dig them up and put them in a garbage bag, dirt and all. They will be placed in the basement. We’ll see how this method of preserving does for the carrots.

Two of my favorite dishes with carrots include CARROT STEW and also just frying up finely-diced carrots and onions in some olive oil as a side dish. To dice the carrots quickly, I use my Pampered Chef food chopper or for a big batch, I’ll use my food processor.

We also grew broccoli.  I blanched it and froze a lot.  From our broccoli experience:

1.  The never-ceasing florets.  I never knew that little florets will keep coming after you harvest the head, giving you enough broccoli all summer and fall for a small side dish or addition to a salad.
2.  High sulfur.  Our homegrown broccoli seemed to be really high in sulfur.  I’m a broccoli lover, and it was a bit strong!  I found that if I was making roasted broccoli, and I let the broccoli sit in the fridge, marinating in the garlic and olive oil, the sulfur flavor diminished dramatically.

My kids will eat broccoli very well.  We use it in broccoli soup, which they love.  Also, they will eat roasted broccoli. (Just toss the broccoli with olive oil and some garlic or garlic powder and place on a cookie sheet in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes.  Just watch.  You don’t want it burned!)  My husband’s favorite is lightly steamed broccoli quickly stir-fried in a bit of toasted sesame oil/honey combination, with an orange squeezed over top, kind of an Asian flair.

I hope you have a wonderful Friday. I’m off to teach Chemistry to the homeschool group. A humbling experience.  Why do they have to ask questions?  (Can’t they see I’m a bit rusty?  A floundering fish hanging on the line before 13 middle school/high school students?  Can’t they see I really want to lecture on butyrate and colon health?)

Terri