I have a 12 part course coming up on How Food Quality Matters, and why its important to buy organic. I do discuss all the ways that eating quality food People complain that organic food is too expensive, but I believe its too expensive to NOT buy organic. There are ao many ways y ou save when you buy organic, this class shares how to get more for your buck. In my class, I share the why its important, the way to save by doing this, and how to get the most bang for your buck. I address food waste in these classes as one of the ways to save money, there are many ways to utilize the entire fruit and veggie that we are not using.
Do you know how quickly whole foods begin to lose their nutrients?
Do you know how to store them, on the kitchen counter, on a shelf in the fridge, in the crisper drawer.
Do you wrap it in plastic to store it? Do you punch holes in the bag? Or do you store it in a paper bag?
If it starts to wilt can you save it?
What can you do with all the kitchen scraps?
Where to shop to save?
What actually are phytonutrients and why do we need them?
What about the vitamins and minerals we can get directly from the food?
SAVING FOOD WASTE ALSO SAVES YOU MONEY and its good for the planet.
The class will roll out end of April, beginning of May 2022. To give you an idea on why you need this information I am doing little teaser articles. Check out my article/blog on onion skins that just published in BRAINZ magazine and is also in this blog.
Today I want to talk about parts of the carrot that you should never waste.
In order to eliminate the waste, and use the ideas that follow, buy ORGANIC carrots. You don’t what chemicals and poisons with every bite, They are throughout the carrot, but pesticides and herbicides are higher in the peels and the tops.
50% of the phytonutrients are in the skin. So do not peel the outside of the carrot. What you do want to do it take off all the straggly roots, because they are pulling nutrients from the carrot even after you get it home. Scrub them with a veggie brush to get off all the dirt and any chemical residue.
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“Carrots consist of three major layers: 1) the peel/skin (outermost layer), 2) the phloem (intermediate layer) and 3) the xylem (inner core). Generally, all of the peel and a very small portion of the phloem are removed when a carrot is peeled.
“Vitamin C and niacin are most concentrated in the peel but can be found in appreciable amounts in the phloem. As for beta-carotene (an orange pigment and plant form of vitamin A), the peel and phloem have approximately equal amounts. That is why both peeled and unpeeled carrots have the same color. The xylem contains the lowest amount (about 10% of the total) of beta-carotene. But, the xylem contains the majority of the calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus present in carrots. And, both peeled and unpeeled carrots are good sources of fiber.”
Do not throw away carrot tops. Eat carrot tops like any other greenery. Wash it, shake it dry, and use in everything from homemade green smoothies to salads. You can also use fresh carrot greens in spice rubs for meat, vegetable juice or even herbal teas.
When you take the tops off the carrots put them into a glass with fresh filtered water to keep them fresh until you are ready to use them. I made pesto from ours now that I know its edible and loaded with goodness. We actually tossed it with pasta and vegan Parmesan cheese for dinner one night. My hubby John loved it.
In my class, I share more about how to store carrots, why not to buy baby carrots, what to only buy carrots with their tops on, how to get even more nutrition from the veggie. All of the colors are important, but like with most vegetables, the purple variety has the most nutritional benefit. Purple was the original color of carrots hundreds of years ago. It was not engineered, it was modified, to become orange in honor of the King of Orange. And we will cover how long you can store carrots and how to make them last.
As to which color, variety is the key. Eat them all.
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