Carrots

Carrots are Tops with Kids

They’re bright orange, crunchy and a little bit sweet — no wonder carrots are one of kids’ favorite veggies! They’re an important part of a kid’s healthy diet and are the perfect veggie for dipping in Ranch.

Let your kids help make their own lunch or whip up the family's favorite carrot recipe. Have them cut off the carrot greens and wash the carrots—younger kids can use plastic, serrated lettuce knives. Thinly sliced carrots are best in salads, so have your older kids (9 and up) use the grater to turn a carrot into thin strips.

A Health Food Store in a Veggie

Carrots are the number one source of a key nutrient for your senses: beta-carotene, which is what turns carrots bright orange. Your body converts some of this beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is great for healthy skin, bones, teeth, and of course, vision. Whether you eat them raw or in a delicious carrot recipe, just 30 grams of this amazing vegetable give you all the vitamin A you need for an entire day! Plus, carrots are good for the digestion, with plenty of dietary fiber.

Planting Seeds of Excitement

Carrots are a fun vegetable for kids becuse they’re like buried treasure. Be sure to have your camera ready for the smiles when they pull the greens out of the ground and there’s a big beautiful orange carrot attached!

• Plant early, harvest early. Carrots can withstand a bit more cold than other springtime seedlings, so plant them in early spring. Then, you can plan on harvesting your first crop before the real heat of summer hits.
• Don't overwater. Too much water produces bitter carrots. Carrots do best with soil that is just moist, so try to give them an inch of water a week. And check below the surface to make sure the water is penetrating the roots.
• Carrots sprout quickly. They take only about 3 months to grow so be sure to keep an eye out for leafy greens peeking up from the soil.
• Protect your crop. Place a fine mesh netting over the greens to keep pests and critters from eating your carrots.
• Soak the soil. When you're ready to harvest, make sure the soil is very wet—it makes it easier to pull the carrots up.
• Harvest with a twist. To pick, grab the greens close to the ground and pull out with a slight twisting motion.
• Don't pick them if you don't need them. Carrots will keep underground for up to a month without getting tough.

Pick, Store & Prep Carrots

The more involved your kids are with veggies the more they’ll eat. So grow their interest — take them to the grocery store or farmers’ market and teach them how to pick the best of the bunch.

Pick

• Brighter is better. Brighter is better. We know carrots are packed with beta-carotene, which gives them their great orange color and nutrients, so be sure to pick the ones that are brighter orange — this tells you that they have more beta-carotene and a greater amount of nutrients. Avoid any with dark spots or tips.
• Younger is better. Choose young, slender carrots that are firm and feel a bit heavy.
• Look for leafy tops. If you can find carrots with the tops still attached, grab them. They’re a good indicator of freshness.
• Check those snack packs. Today, most “baby carrots” that you see in supermarkets are actually carved regular carrots. Real baby carrots are a lot more fun for the kids and use less packaging.

Store

• Take off the tops. Always remove the greens on the carrot as soon as possible. These will soak up all of the vitamins and moisture from the carrot.
• Carrots keep well. They can be stored for several weeks in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.
• Be careful how you store them. Keep them away from apples, pears and potatoes—these emit gasses that can make carrots bitter.

Prep

• Don’t toss the peel.Try not to peel carrots, if you can, because that’s where many of the nutrients are.You should peel them, however, when the carrots are old, thick or not organic, so that you don’t eat any unwanted chemicals.
• Give them a quick scrub. Gently clean them under cool running water with a vegetable brush.
• Cook them for better nutrition. It's a good idea to blanch them every now and again to get the most out of their antioxidant properties. Carrots are one of the few veggies that actually provide more beta-carotene when lightly cooked.

Make Your Whole Bunch Happy

Carrot Recipes

Carrots are great all on their own, but they take on richer, sweeter quality when added to soups, sautés and stir-frys.Here are a few fresh ideas for cooked carrots.

• 

  Carrot Ginger Soup

  This soup gets an extra boost of vitamins C and A from butternut squash.

  View recipe

• 

  Carrot Oven Fries

  Healthy fries for your small fry.

  View recipe

• 

  Ranch Stir-Fried Carrots and Garden Vegetables

  Our Fiesta Dip Mix adds a little spice to sautéed veggies.

  View recipe

• 

  Glazed Baby Carrots

  Watch Jennie Garth prepare this quick, sweet side dish that any kid will love.

  View recipe

  Watch the video

Test Your Carrot Knowledge