All the carrots in the Healthy Boxes are from our own fields.  It is one of the very few vegetables where we are 100% self sufficient.

Carrot seeds are sown as soon as field conditions allow in February or March.  The first ones are the delicious small carrots which are pulled up and bunched by hand from May onwards.  We like to keep a succession of sowings through the spring so that the leaves stay fresh and healthy and we can continue to put bunched carrots in the boxes for a many weeks as possible. 

From the autumn the carrots are larger and we lift as many as we need each week and carefully wash them for the boxes.

The carrots remain in the ground over the winter so that they are always freshly harvested for you. It does get a bit tricky in the very wet weather and sometimes it appears we have more soil in our harvesting crates than carrots!!  Luckily the new vegetable washing machine sorts that out for us.

The varieties used are a secret, closely guarded by our grower, but of all the vegetables that are put into the boxes it is the carrots that receive the most positive comments.

Carrots, along with potatoes and onions, make the most appearances in the contents list for lots of reasons - the main one being their versatility.  Suitable for use either raw or cooked they appear in recipes in every style of cooking in all seasons.

For summer use try grating coarsley over a leafy salad.  In winter slice into chunks and steam for a few minutes until tender.