Cleaning carrots

[b54red]

I guess you never get too old to learn new tricks in gardening. In my four foot wide beds I planted three different spots with carrots starting back in the fall and planted them about a month apart. I can never tell from year to year what is the best time to plant them so this is the system that I have been using now for about 15 years. It usually works out so that two of the groups turn out perfect with one not doing as well. My individual plantings are not very large just three or four rows four feet long; but I usually have a quite good harvest. The biggest problem I have with carrots is what to do with them when they reach the point of needing to be pulled and stored. I finally found that the best way was to wash them quickly and put them in bags in the refrigerator. I tried scrubbing them with a brush but even that didn't remove all the dirt and I would end up scrapping my fingers that were holding the carrot til they were raw if I had a good number of carrots to clean. Even with all that work we would still end up having to peel most of them before using them.

I did find that using a stainless steel scouring pad would clean them good but it also scrapped them up pretty badly and they were basically peeled. It was too messy and roughed up the carrots too much. When I picked my second patch this spring I was trying to decide how I was going to clean them because I had gone back to washing them quickly and letting them dry a bit and putting them in a plastic bag but still didn't like having to always peel them before using them. I decided to try scrubbing them with one of those green cleaning pads and see how that worked. I couldn't believe how well it worked. I would rinse a carrot and scrub it lightly with the pad then rinse again and the results were terrific. The carrots were usually spotless and clean as can be. Now we don't have to peel them any more before using. I wish I had figured this out 40 years ago.

Bill

[Worth1]

Are you talking about the scotch brite type pad.

[NarnianGarden]

Great tip, thanks! Will try.

[PhilaGardener]

Can't wait to give it a try but need to plant my carrots first!

[oakley]

Probably all due to different climates, but i've always harvested after first Fall frost,
green tops removed, bucket washed while still in the garden area. To remove soil.
Haul to the barn to dry out of any noticeable moisture, then packed in gal freezer
zip-locks with a few nicked holes and into a lower crisper drawer. A spare fridge in the
barn just for garden harvest.

Keeps fresh/crisp through the newYear...4-5 months but usually gone by then.

I've always thought that removing the garden soil contact layer would speed up
deterioration. Exposing surface moisture.
The 3M red/maroon scrub pad is what i use for cleaning before eating.
No peeler needed.

-just don't leave that sucka' anywhere near the kitchen. If a family member or visitor
gets ahold of it and doesn't know, your appliances and surfaces will be ruined. Too
abrasive for most home cleaning...

But you must be using the green kitchen approved pad. 3M also makes a green that is
confusing as it is also very abrasive.

Curious to find out how long they will keep cleaned up that way. Would sure be handy
liking to snack on raw carrots but i don't usually mind an un-peeled carrot. For guests
and family gatherings i do like to scrub off the minor 'skin' layer. The tiny dirt ribbing.

[Worth1]

The 3M white is the least abrasive.
Look in any auto body paint store.
I cant count how many people have ruined the bluing on a firearm with a scotch brite pad.
Worth

[shelleybean]

That's especially great for the carrots I grow. I like the little round ones like Paris Market. It's so hard to peel a carrot the same size and shape as a golf ball! That's perfect! Thank you, Bill!

[Nematode]

They keep better dirty, clean them when u use them.

[Worth1]

Speaking of carrots that is what I am having for supper lettuce wedges and raw uncleaned carrots.
Worth

[Deborah]

This is making me crave carrots. I'll snitch some from the rabs' stash.

[loulac]

In my garden carrots require a lot of work as I grow a big quantity every two years (about 60 litres or quarts with the leaves), a full wheelbarrow.
I fill a sieve I made (3’x3’, mesh size about half an inch). I clean them with a high pressure hose (Karcher) then I clean them one at a time. If the pressure was high enough the water would peel the carrot but I prefer peeling them by hand and I lower the pressure.
When peeled I slice them, fill bags (made to the crotchet hook by my mother-in-law), boil them (10 minutes), then I fill bags and store them in my freezer. Of course I choose the biggest varieties to have big slices.

[b54red]

I just went and checked the brand and they are Scotch Brite Heavy Duty. They are quite abrasive when new but after a few large carrots they smooth out a bit. I rinse them every few carrots to get the debris out of them.

I have found that clean carrots keep just as well as the ones with dirt still on them and with the added benefit of not having to peel them before using. Anyway I really like the results of this method and thought I would pass it on.

Bill

[salix]

Bill, even better than the Scotch Brite pads are a pair of (probably women's) facial defoliating/cosmetic gloves. Just hose off the worst in the garden, then put them in the sink with a trickle of running water, and scrub with both hands then rinse. Goes quickly and fairly gently as the gloves are not as rough as the pads. The skins seem to remain almost intact. I then cut off the tops to discourage growing, pack them in clean bags and refrigerate. Still have about 5 pounds left that were harvested last September and they are in very good condition.

[Worth1]

You can find anything on the internet.

[Gardeneer]

I had some. I just washed, topped and soaked in cold water and rinsed more. Then let it air dry in the kitchen , then put them in plastic bags and they went into the veggies compartment in the frig. With our sandy soil, no need to get involved cleaning carrots.