This Past Week at La Domestique: Carrots

This past week at La Domestique we celebrated a big carrot harvest from my Colorado community garden plot. The beautiful flavor of a fresh, sweet summer carrot is often in the shadow of the more popular tomatoes and zucchini. Cook in the moment and take the opportunity to enjoy carrots at their very best right now.

In case you missed anything, I’ve got a recap for you!

Monday: Announcing carrots as the ingredient of the week on videocast.

Tuesday: 10 Ways Tuesday! Creative ways to cook with carrots during summer.

Wednesday: Cook in the moment with a recipe for Carrot Soup with Moroccan Seasoning, Ginger, Oregano & Lime.

Thursday: The story behind carrots: growing, buying, storing, cooking and flavor pairing.

Friday: Making pickled carrots for the Vietnamese sandwich, bánh-mì.

I hope you enjoyed carrot week. Thanks for reading!

2 Comments

Gerard on March 31, 2012 at 11:30 am

We are planting our first garden in Boulder this year. The kids really want carrots, but I’ve heard they can be challenging here. Would you have any tips for a novice? Your carrots look great BTW.

Jess on March 31, 2012 at 1:56 pm

Thanks for your comment, Gerard! 2011 was my first year gardening, and I had no problem growing carrots. It’s important to really work the soil where you plant the carrots. Dig up the ground as far as you can (I got about 10 inches before I hit a layer of compact soil so hard I could dig no more. Once you’ve dug up the soil, use a pitch fork or rake to break up the soil as fine as you can. This is where I incorporate plenty of compost. I give all my success to the fact that I put in the work to prepare the soil Carrots don’t transplant well, so direct seed them now. I planted my carrots with plenty of room between them (following the packet instructions), because I have read thinning carrot crops can attract carrot rust fly (bruising their leaves releases an aroma). I sowed my carrots in spring, and did not do another fall crop for space issues in my garden. People have a tendency to over-water out here to compensate for dry conditions. I kept an eye on my garden plot, but didn’t love it to death, and everything did just fine. If you see pests, jump on it quickly, because they can take over the garden in just a couple of days. Feel free to holler at me if you have other gardening questions!

Gerard on March 31, 2012 at 11:30 am

We are planting our first garden in Boulder this year. The kids really want carrots, but I’ve heard they can be challenging here. Would you have any tips for a novice? Your carrots look great BTW.
- Jess on March 31, 2012 at 1:56 pm
  
  Thanks for your comment, Gerard! 2011 was my first year gardening, and I had no problem growing carrots. It’s important to really work the soil where you plant the carrots. Dig up the ground as far as you can (I got about 10 inches before I hit a layer of compact soil so hard I could dig no more. Once you’ve dug up the soil, use a pitch fork or rake to break up the soil as fine as you can. This is where I incorporate plenty of compost. I give all my success to the fact that I put in the work to prepare the soil Carrots don’t transplant well, so direct seed them now. I planted my carrots with plenty of room between them (following the packet instructions), because I have read thinning carrot crops can attract carrot rust fly (bruising their leaves releases an aroma). I sowed my carrots in spring, and did not do another fall crop for space issues in my garden. People have a tendency to over-water out here to compensate for dry conditions. I kept an eye on my garden plot, but didn’t love it to death, and everything did just fine. If you see pests, jump on it quickly, because they can take over the garden in just a couple of days. Feel free to holler at me if you have other gardening questions!