Braised Carrots
We still have about 4 or 5 pounds of garden carrots in the refrigerator. Noel started a late crop the end of August and harvested what was left of them mid December. We scrubbed and bagged them in clear plastic bags and found a spot in the refrigerator (barely). We munch on a few raw ones just about every day – they’re so sweet and tasty.
The other day I was in the mood for roasted carrots but since my oven was zapped in the last ice storm (we’re waiting for a new part) I thought I’d try braising them on top of the stove. They turned out quite well with a taste very similar to roasting.
Braised Carrot Recipe
1 dozen medium size scrubbed and unpeeled carrots (mine were about 5-6 inches long)
2 T. Olive Oil
¾ cup veggie broth
1 T. fresh or 1 tsp. dried sage leaves
Preheat a 10” cast iron frying pan to medium high. Add the olive oil, then carrots and brown for 5 minutes – stirring or turning so all sides are seared. Add the broth and sage, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the cover, turn up the heat slightly and cook until the liquid evaporates. At this point the carrots and sage will brown and caramelize. You may need to turn the heat back down so they don’t burn. Remove from pan and serve. I could have eaten them all but I shared them with the grower!
hey guys, What can i grow here in Az. I am serious I live in the valley where it is very hot in the summer with little to no rain. I have tried beets, tomatoes – no luck. Did have luck with watermelon and Cantalope. Great luck with green seedless grapes and made our own raisin. yummmmmy. Lemon and grapefruit flourish. Help! Love the asthectically pleasing arrangement of the Carrots Judy. he he
Sue
I have the opposite problem that Sue has. Very cold winter, short mild summer. Last week was -30 at night. I’m not good at lugging plants in and out in the early summer, late summer. What crops have the shortest plant to harvest times?
Sue, plant in the winter! Try various greens like spinach, and Swiss chard. Try beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes. Bush green beans are fun.
Sue, Marti is right, try growing some winter greens. Some crops might do better if they’re planted earlier or later than you have been doing. Sweet potatoes are always fun to grow and they should do well in your hot climate. Also, check out Leslie Doyle’s website: http://www.sweettomatotestgarden.com. She grows tomatoes in the Nevada desert so she should have some good tips on types of tomatoes that might do okay in your area.
Marti, I’d check out Johnny’s Selected Seeds – http://www.johnnyseeds.com. They’re based in Maine and should be able to help you with short season plant varieties. Also, a raised bed with a mini-hoop house over it should help you extend your growing at the beginning and the end of the season.
For gardening in AZ take a look at nativeseeds dot org. They have seeds that do well in the southwest. I purchased sorghum, and tomato seeds thru the website and both varieties stood up to the heat. There’s a retail store in Tucson.
http://shop.nativeseeds.org/pages/seeds