How to Store Carrots
Forget Fresh. Keep Carrots Alive!
Bright orange or the colors of the rainbow, carrot varieties are a feast for the senses and known for their signature snap and satisfying crunch. Carrots are as versatile as they are delicious & nutritious—whether as the star of a soup, the captain of a cake, or the celebrity of a casserole, these veggies stand out as a satiating addition to almost any dish.
Every year, as we pull pounds of these vitamin A-packed root vegetables from our garden beds or pick up heaps of their in-season sweetness from the Farmer’s Market, it’s common to ask oneself: “What is the best way to store carrots?”
When we search this query, we’re inundated with tedious instructions involving damp paper towels, freezer bags, moist sand, ice water or plastic bags & airtight containers. Really, who needs to be checking their carrots’ cold water temperature and changing their wet paper towel on the daily?!
When it comes to storing carrots, we prefer the ol’ wrap ‘em and leave ‘em technique. Baby carrots, whole carrots, sliced carrots & diced carrots. There’s an Abeego for that.
Keep reading to learn how to extend the shelf life of crisp & crunchy carrots for what feels like forever with Abeego!
ABEEGO TEST KITCHEN | ABEEGO VS. NAKED CARROTS
Carrots have their own skin so they don’t need protection, right? Well...our test kitchen results tell a different story!
We weighed two separate bunches of fresh-from-the-garden raw carrots—greens attached—wrapped one bunch in Abeego and left the other bare. Then we stored them in the fridge’s crisper drawer.
OUR RESULTS
After 4 days, we weighed the carrots again.
Carrots wrapped in Abeego retained 99% of their moisture. That’s 55x more than naked carrots!
In this image, we tied weights to the end of the carrots to showcase the still firm & crisp Abeego-wrapped carrot (left) in comparison to the rubbery & bendy naked carrot (right).
What’s more? We even tested the carrot greens! The green tops on the left were wrapped in Abeego for 5 days and the green tops on the right were left naked for 5 days.
OUR WHY
Abeego is a second skin for thin-skinned vegetables like carrots. Even after fresh carrots are pulled from the ground, they are still alive and continue to breathe.
Wrapped in Abeego, carrots’ respiration process is allowed to continue in a breathable environment, and they're still protected from the drying effects of the air. Excess moisture can escape while enough moisture is retained.
The result is a longer living and tastier carrot!
Why is this important? Because moisture loss as a result of respiration also means a loss of nutrients and flavor. Alternatively, when carrots are wrapped in airtight plastic wrap, ethylene gas is trapped and contributes to wet slimy spoilage.
When respiration is slowed down in Abeego’s protective environment and food is given the ability to breathe, the life-giving vitality of carrots are retained and excess moisture can easily escape.
Take care of your food and it will take care of you!
The longer you’re able to keep your carrots alive, the more time you have to eat them, saving them from the compost. When you end food waste, you save time, money, and all the resources it took to get those carrots to your table—right down to the bees! The evidence is clear: Abeego is the best storage method for carrots.
HOW TO KEEP CARROTS ALIVE WITH ABEEGO
The best part? This isn’t Abeego’s win, this is your win. These are your delicious carrots. These are your nutritious carrots. This is your kitchen with Abeego. And it’s easy.
Whole? Place carrots on a Large Abeego, roll them up, and twist or scrunch the ends.
Sliced? Make a packet with a Medium Abeego and pre-prep your fresh lunch snacks for the week. You’ll give your back a pat when you’ve kept them as fresh as fresh cut.
Place in your vegetable drawer until you’re ready to dig in. Voila! Vibrant living carrots are yours.
For more wrap inspiration, check out our Abeego YouTube channel.
HOW TO GET CARROTS
If you’ve ever eaten a carrot straight out of the garden you know it tastes very different than most grocery store carrots! For the best flavor, snap, freshness, and nutrition, shop for carrots farmer-direct or try your hand at growing your own.
When at the grocery store, use your senses! Ask yourself what carrots look the best, feel the best, smell the best? We like carrots with a deep color, an earthy smell, a firm feel, with little bend to them.
Buy carrots with the tops attached! The brighter and perkier the greens, the fresher the carrot. Plus, carrot tops are edible! Keep scrolling for a recipe. Carrots with limp leaves, blackening tops, or spongy bodies have been sitting on the shelf a little long.
Expand your palate and look beyond the orange for purple, black, white and red carrots, too—each with varying nutrients and flavors. Did you know that the orange variety only became widespread in the last 400 years? Before that, purple carrots were the dominant variety and in the 5th century were typically white. Originally cultivated for their leaves and seeds in Persia, the carrot has come a long way!
HOW TO EAT CARROTS
Our love of eating root to stem and inspired by our Kale Pesto recipe, we made this Carrot Top Pesto by Jacobsen Salt Co and adapted it to use up whatever is on hand. Essentially, pesto is comprised of pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, basil, salt, lemon juice. We used walnuts, parmesan, garlic, carrot tops, more garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and then some garlic (chop the ingredients finely or use a food processor - the consistency is up to you!). The carrot tops we used added a lovely spiciness to this simple side dish. We ate it as a dip for, guess what? Carrots! What a wonderful way to eat the whole beast.
BUILDING THE ABEEGO HABIT
IMPERFECT CARROTS ARE WONDERFUL, TOO
In your hunt for the perfect carrot, don’t be afraid to get the weird ones! Blemishes, multiple roots, twists and turns give character to carrots and are just as tasty. Many markets also sell carrots past their best at a heavy discount—perfect for juicing, mushing, and grating for everything from juices to carrot cakes, in case you need an excuse to eat cream cheese icing.
SHARE CARROTS
Did you buy 10 pounds of carrots because it was a good deal? Get cooking! Lighten the load and invite friends over for a makers party. Make a dozen loaves of carrot cake and send everyone home with one wrapped in a Giant Abeego! Or do what we did: make carrot-top pesto and cover jars with a Small Abeego for lids (there’s six in a pack!) for a tasty parting gift.
SHOP ABEEGO & KEEP CARROTS ALIVE
It is with deep respect and gratitude that we create, build and operate our business in the communities of Southern Vancouver Island, which as a business we acknowledge is located within the ancestral and unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) (Esquimalt and Songhees), Malahat, Pacheedaht, Scia'new, T’Sou-ke and W̱SÁNEĆ (Pauquachin, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum) peoples.
Get your Abeego on! Enjoy these other posts: