Chantenay Carrots are truly heirlooms to treasure. The first time I tasted them, I swore they were cooked with sugar. I'd never tasted carrots so sweet and "carrott-y" tasting.
A rising young star on the culinary horizon (that's you, V.!) asked me a question about carrots the other day. “So Jackie, what’s the deal with these Chantenay carrots and what does it mean that they’re heirloom?” She grinned as I launched into my spiel, as I’m sure she’d predicted I would.
We're talking about heirloom carrots Chantenays from a local, organic farm, after all. At this point, it might not surprise you that I’ve been compared to the geeky postman from “Cheers”, Cliff. You know the guy with the encyclopedic knowledge on arcane subjects, only too willing to offer said knowledge over a pint, oblivious to the rolling eyes of his other barflies.
I hate to think I’m that bad, but I did spend more time as a child watching Julia Child and reading cookbooks than doing whatever the other kids were doing.
What’s an Heirloom?
The first distinction is heirloom. Vegetables such as Chantenay Carrots and Green Zebra Tomatoes lost out to the demands of mass market commercial production. Often these types of vegetables can be finicky to grow. Heirloom Chantenays are said to require more space to grow than other commercial hybrids. We know how expensive real estate is. Heirloom tomatoes are too delicate to be picked by machine and won’t survive a cross-country road trip. Hybrid tomatoes were developed to look uniformly round and pretty. They have a thick skin that can withstand machine harvesting and they “ripen” slowly so they have a much longer shelf life. This is why a commercial hybrid, even a ripe-looking one, tastes about as good as Styrofoam.
Why Organic?
Organics often, though not always, taste better. I choose them as much for other reasons as for flavor (less environmental damage, less chemicals to worry about ingesting, etc.) Health claims have been disputed and it's probably safe to say will continue to be. US consumers spent $15 billion on organics in 2005 and WalMart’s entry into the field demonstrates the popularity. So, whatever the science says and whatever the reasons, more of us are choosing organics and doing so more often.
What are Chantenay Carrots?
These carrots are what carrots are supposed to taste like. No trace of bitterness. Sweet and crunchy. As with many heirloom vegetables, they can be knobby, even gnarly looking. These are not Stepford Wife veggies that come in tidy, uniform sizes on the mega mart shelf. Usually they're quite squat, about 5-6 inches long and often have sort of purply shoulders. Once you try them, there's no going back.
Chantenay or not, carrots deserve more of our attention. See Regina Schrambling's recent piece on the beauty of carrots in It's Their Turn to Shine.
All about carrots :
- They are high in sugar and fiber and are an excellent source of carotene, which gives the carrots their bright orange color. Carrots are also a good source of other nutrients, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin A, and folic acid.
- A good sources of antioxidants and may also protect against colorectal cancer.
- Thought to have originated in Afganistan and were originally a darker purple color.
- Orange and yellow varieties are more recent developments.
- They are noted in ancient Roman writings and were thought at that time to have aphrodisiac qualities. What's up Doc?
- One of the three components of the classic “mire poix” (“meer pwah”) which also includes celery and onion. Used to start soups, stews, sauces, and braises.
- A member of the same family as parsnips, dill, and fennel.
An interesting recipe to try: CARROT JUICE DRESSING
Courtesy of Chef Mark Vogel, contributing writer on FoodReference.com. Click here to read more.
Here’s a delicious and completely no-fat dressing that you must try. You will need one of those juicing machines which is a great thing to have. Not only can you reap the health benefits of drinking fresh vegetable juice but you can also use the juice in various other preparations. This recipe follows the same formula as a basic vinaigrette: three parts oil to one part acid. The exception of course, is that carrot juice is substituted for the oil. For the acid I like fresh squeezed lemon juice.
6 oz. carrot juice
2 oz. lemon juice
2 large shallots, minced
Salt & pepper to taste
I'm also trying to persuade my mother to share her famous carrot soup recipe. To die for. *fingers crossed.*
