Carrots are a vegetable that I’ve been growing in my garden for the past few years. I have always been particularly fond of them, but I prefer them cooked to raw. I was fascinated to learn that they become sweeter tasting if they are left in the ground until after the first hard frost in the fall before being harvested.
Last year’s carrot crop from the garden.
A few times, I’ve come across carrots still in the ground of the garden in the spring that were never harvested. That’s usually because the green carrot tops were eaten off by deer and I didn’t know they were still there!
My carrot friend from the garden, dubbed, “Running Man!”
We’ve gotten a lot of carrots from the summer CSA last fall and from the winter CSA over the past few months. They can be stored for several months in the refrigerator or in a cool basement. They’ll go into a lot of soups, stews & sauces over the winter, but they are even better when we use them in a recipe like this!
Carrot Ginger Puree
Carrot Ginger Puree (adapted from southernliving.com)
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings Total time: 55 Minutes, Hands-on Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
2 pounds carrots, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon loosely packed orange zest
Preparation:
Bring the carrots and milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the sugar, ginger, salt, and cinnamon. Simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Add the milk to the carrots.
Add the ginger, sugar, salt, & cinnamon to the carrots.
Cook the carrots.
Drain the carrots, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the carrots to the pot, add the butter and the orange zest to the carrots and use a wand blender to puree the mixture. Add the reserved cooking liquid, if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to process the carrot mixture to the desired consistency. (To puree the carrots with a blender: transfer the carrot mixture to the blender, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add the butter and orange zest to the carrot mixture, and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.)
Add the butter and orange zest to the carrots.
Serve the carrot mixture immediately or serve it chilled. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Carrots, ginger & orange go very well together!
We’ll be enjoying carrots all winter long! ~Linda
Carrot Ginger Puree (adapted from southernliving.com)
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings Total time: 55 Minutes, Hands-on Time: 25 Minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds carrots, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon loosely packed orange zest
Preparation:
Bring the carrots and milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the sugar, ginger, salt, and cinnamon. Simmer, stirring often, for 25 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Drain the carrots, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the carrots to the pot, add the butter and the orange zest to the carrots and use a wand blender to puree the mixture. Add the reserved cooking liquid, if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to process the carrot mixture to the desired consistency. (To puree the carrots with a blender: transfer the carrot mixture to the blender, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add the butter and orange zest to the carrot mixture, and process it until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.)
Serve the carrot mixture immediately or serve it chilled. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.