Carrots

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Most folks think of carrots as tapered and orange, but you might be surprised at the variety of colors and shapes carrots may be found in: yellow, purple white, tapered, cylindrical, spherical. Look for carrots with bright green, upright tops and firm roots that don’t bend easily. Avoid carrots with no tops (or, for instance in winter, examine where the top was to be sure there’s no mold). Also avoid carrots that have little white rootlets sprouting from the carrot—that means they’re really old.

Baby carrots found packaged in the store are actually full size carrots ground down to a small size—a waste of perfectly good carrot, and they taste no different from regular carrots. True baby carrots have been selectively bred to develop full color while small, and they tend to taste sweeter and more tender.

Fun Fact: The Queen Anne’s Lace seen all over the countryside in Southern Wisconsin is actually a wild carrot!

Nutrition: Carrots are full of beta carotene (and yes, it’s true that babies faces will turn orange if eating too many orange veggies!)