Garden Carrots: My Three Favorite Recipes (& Non-GMO Seeds)

This was the first year in a few years that I was actually able to plant my own garden, so I went all out and planted to my heart's content - tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, beans, peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, zucchini, and CARROTS :)

Although several of my vegetables did fairly well, my carrots were one that grew exceptionally well with very minimal effort. I planted my carrot seeds directly into a raised outdoor garden bed on June 1st (with fairly loose soil), watered them daily for their first month, occasionally thinned them out, and then I pretty much left them alone until I decided to pull some up in mid-August.

I've personally always found carrots to be a pretty easy vegetable to grow since you don't need to start them months ahead of time: You can just plant their seeds directly into the ground a couple of weeks before your last frost (or as soon as the threat of frost is over). Carrots can take 2 to 3 1/2 months (depending on the variety and conditions), so if you're wanting an earlier crop, of course you can start your seeds indoors (or inside your greenhouse) and transplant them outside later. For starting vegetables ahead of time, I've personally used soil-block makers with much success - they're extremely easy to use and they make transplanting simply effortless.

If you're stocking up on plenty of non-GMO seeds for your survival stash (a very good idea!), carrot seeds are great ones to get. They are such a hearty, nutritious vegetable that can be prepared and used in a number of ways, and fresh carrots taste SO much better than frozen or canned (I personally do not like either).

You can always add carrots to your soup or stew, cook them in with your roast and potatoes, or just munch on them raw; however, if you don't normally like carrots, I'd like to share three of my favorite recipes with you. Even if you aren't a very big fan of carrots, I think you really might enjoy one of these variations.  My first recipe is a quick, soft side-dish that can compliment any meal, my second recipe will give you a simple, crunchy snack that you can always keep on-hand in your fridge, and my third recipe is a unique, flavorful, & colorful crisp/tender side-dish.

Before any recipe, obviously you need to pick your carrots from the garden, take off the [highly nutritious] stems (save for your salad or green smoothie!), and then clean your carrots well. If you don't already have one, I think it's quite essential to have a nice vegetable brush to help you scrub.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe 1: "SUNNY CARROTS"

 

I think the name suites them! They look like little circles of sunshine as they cook on the stovetop until soft enough to eat.

 

COMBINE the following in a small pot and COOK over medium heat until carrots are tender:

 

2 to 2 1/2 c. carrots (peeled and cut into circles)

1/2 c. water

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sweet basil

1/8 tsp. dill weed

 

SERVE hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe 2: "PICKLED REFRIGERATOR CARROTS"

 

I LOVE THESE!!

 

(no photos since I'm currently out of garlic. I'll post photos here the next time I make them)

 

* Fill a pint jar halfway with carrot slices or carrot chips

 

* Add onions if desired (I don't)

 

* Add HALF of the following ingredients:

 

1 tsp. dill weed (so.... add 1/2 tsp. for now)

1 Tbl. salt (so.... add 1 1/2 tsp. for now)

1/2 tsp. sugar (so.... add 1/4 tsp. for now)

1 large clove of garlic, sliced (so.... add 1/2 sliced garlic clove for now)

 

* Fill the rest of the jar with carrot slices or carrot chips

 

* Add the remaining half of the ingredients (1/2 tsp. dill weed, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. sugar, and 1/2 sliced garlic clove)

 

* Boil 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. distilled white vinegar together (your house will smell like vinegar!)

 

* Pour over carrots

 

* Put lid on jar. Shake. Let cool at room temperature. (Jar does not need to seal, but it may seal on it's own)

 

* Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving

 

* Store in refrigerator. Will keep for several weeks refrigerated

 

NOTE: I normally DOUBLE the recipe and use a QUART jar. Doubling the recipe requires enough carrot slices to fill a quart jar, plus a total of : 2 tsp. dill weed, 2 Tbl. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 large cloves of garlic (sliced), 1 c. water, and 1 c. vinegar. Since you split the ingredients, at the halfway point (and again at the end) you only add: 1 tsp. dill weed, 1 Tbl. salt, 1/2 tsp. sugar, and 1 large clove of sliced garlic.

 

Recipe 3: "CARROT PARSNIP STIR-FRY"

 

This recipe tastes amazing!

It does take a little time to julienne the carrots & parsnips, but its worth it... You can substitute rutabagas or turnips if parsnips aren't available.

(I will post photos the next time I make it)

  

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled & julienned

1/4 c. butter

2 pounds carrots, julienned

2 Tbl. minced dried onion

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

In large skillet, sauté parsnips in butter for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots & onion; cook and stir until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 10-15 minutes. If you want to cook them longer, they are also very good quite well-cooked, almost browned.

 





 

NEED SOME HELP GROWING YOUR CARROTS?

 

Here are a couple links that may help you out:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/carrots-growing-guide

and

http://awaytogarden.com/how-to-grow-carrots-with-dr-john-navazio


LEARN MORE ABOUT NON-GMO SEEDS & WHERE TO PURCHASE THEM:

Excellent Non-GMO Seed Suppliers:

1) Seed Savers Exchange - SeedSavers.org
2) Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - RareSeeds.com
3) Clear Creek Heirloom Seeds - ClearCreekSeeds.com

"How to Keep Monsanto Out of Your Garden" - http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/where-to-buy-non-gmo-seeds

Sweet Gold Tomatoes

Two Pieces of Advice & What I'd Carry

2 questions I received via email:

1.) "With all your experiences so far, in terms of firearms, gear, and prepping, what is a little bit of knowledge or advice that you would give to someone?"

Here about two pieces of advice that I think are equally important....

First piece of advice: Try to stay as healthy as you can by eating right, building strength, and keeping fit.

Just a small amount of change and consistency in terms of diet, cardio, and strength training can go a long way in giving you a much better chance of survival in any sort of economic crisis, natural disaster, sickness outbreak, or societal collapse. If your immune system is strong, you'll be better able to resist infection & fight off illness, and an overall improvement in health & fitness can make you feel more alert and allow you to concentrate better, walk further, run faster, hike longer, carry more weight in your pack, and even maneuver your firearms better (and handle them for a longer duration of time). Sure, it's easier said than done to "lose weight and get fit", but it's extremely important for both you and your family (who needs you around as long as possible). The main thing is to come up with a plan (and a goal) and become determined & motivated enough to stick with it. I personally believe that staying healthy is the single, most important thing you can do to give yourself a fighting chance in this crazy world that's full of uncertainties. Some great changes you can make include: drink more water, eat less (more frequently) (as opposed to fewer, huge meals), use the stairs, park at the back of the lot so you walk further, eat more real food (nuts, fruits, whole grains, fish, etc.) and fewer packaged products containing sugar and white flour, stay away from artificial sweeteners (your body doesn't know what to do with things that are chemically altered), do pushups and sit-ups more often, quit drinking, quit smoking, exercise more, and eat more vegetables (especially greens). There has to be at least one vegetable you like, right? My personal favorites are broccoli, peas, beans, zucchini, carrots, red peppers, spinach, kale, lettuce and tomato, so that's what is growing in my garden right now. These photos are from a couple weeks ago. YUM. Good luck on your own goals & health plan. I still need to make some changes to mine as well.

Second piece of advice: In terms of preparing for disasters and times of crisis, START YESTERDAY. 

In other words, hopefully you've already started stocking up on the essential items you use on a regular basis and don't think you can live without for very long. If you haven't, then start today, and get a little more prepared every single day hereafter. It's extremely important to be prepared for unexpected disasters - even if it's more likely that your unexpected disaster might be loss of income, vehicle trouble, or power outage as opposed to a zombie attack or earthquake. You just never know when the world might go lights out, with no communication. It doesn't take much for the Internet to be shut down or for our cellphones to turn into useless bricks. It also doesn't take much for everyone to panic and drain the fuel tanks at the gas station or empty the shelves at the supermarket. As shown with the current availability of ammunition, it really doesn't take much for the demand to overwhelm the supply and leave us with whatever we already have in our safe or our stockpile... When panic buying like that starts to happen, most people don't even realize what's happening until it's too late. You need to stay ahead of the storm and be ready for whatever might happen tomorrow.

Our survival depends on things such as food, water, shelter, and warmth, so it's important to have those things (or the ability to make those things) in case of an emergency. Our health & comfort are also dependent upon various personal hygiene and household items such as dental floss, soap, toilet paper, medical supplies, and laundry detergent. If you can, it's best to learn some simple skills that will help you to keep living comfortably even if you run out of supplies (such as making your own laundry detergent & soap or purifying water); but if you don't have the time or energy for that, you should at least stock up on enough necessities to hold you over for awhile in case something happens.

Stocking up on food and supplies can get a bit expensive (and overwhelming when you first make a list of what you need), but it's not too bad if you start small, just picking up a few extra things here and there. Fill up an extra can of gas next time you fuel up your vehicle. Every time you go to the store, throw in an extra item or two - a blanket, box of band-aids, tube of toothpaste, extra package of TP, pack of lighters, batteries, a bag of votive candles, a bundle of firewood, an axe, a few cans of food, or anything like that. Just a little at a time will add up to a great sense of security and peace of mind for you and your family over time.
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2.) "Also, what would you carry on you if you found yourself constrained to just one (or two) things?"

I'll have to sort of cheat on this, because to me, one or two things means whatever I can carry with me while still having my hands free to do whatever I need to do.

I would carry........ A BACKPACK - a lightweight backpack (aka: go-bag or bug-out-bag) that's full of small, useful gear. My pack would contain essential things to help me stay nourished, hydrated, warm, dry, comfortable, and clean.

In my backpack would be such things as:

cellphone, knife, spare M&P magazine (for the M&P9C in my waistband), flint/steel firestarter, 2 lighters, trick-light birthday candles, water purification tablets, water bottle, headlamp, my AAA flashlight and a few spare AAA batteries, small poncho, tiny home-made fishing kit & sewing kit (each inside a little film canister), unwaxed dental floss, wallet (containing cash, ID, passport card, & carry permit), prepaid calling card (yes, for a payphone), tiny USB flash drive (with important scanned documents, photos, & information on it), hand-crank radio, pair of nail clippers, tweezers, small mirror, toothbrush, small pack towel, small roll of duct tape, write-in-the rain notepad & pen, large black trash bag & small space blanket, pair of socks, small bottle of Campsuds liquid soap, mosquito headnet, titanium spork, esbit pocket stove & esbit fuel tablets, a folded piece of aluminum foil, my titanium Snow Peak Trek 700 mug, my Leatherman Juice S2, my Leatherman Style-CS mini keychain, some paracord, a box of contact lenses & tiny bottle of saline, pair of glasses, and a small medical kit (with basic essentials, including moleskin in case I'm on foot). I might also include my travel hammock (it doesn't take up much space & it's very lightweight, but it's the largest item in this list). For food I would probably toss in a jar of peanut butter, a few granola bars, a bunch of green tea packets, some Werther's Originals, and some oatmeal packets. Lastly, if I could handle just a little more weight in the pack, I'd toss in my 22 revolver and small box of 22 ammo.

For more ideas of what to put into a go-bag, check out my previous post: http://www.faliaphotography.com/2010/12/bug-out-bags-survival-kits-general-info.html

What would you carry with you if you were just constrained to one or two things?

Quick Greenhouse Pic

(My greenhouse is just bursting with life!!)

(I've begun starting seeds using "soil blockers")

(The radishes are delicious but spicy, and my broccoli plant is getting huge)