Carrots – Premium

Description What to look for Choose carrots that are firm, well formed, with a good orange colour. Smaller carrots tend to be sweeter and more tender. If spring carrots are sold with leaves attached, they should be fresh and bright green. Availability Available: all year Spring carrots – October to January Store Refrigerate in paper bags. Baby peeled carrots are actually larger carrots that are trimmed down to ‘baby size’. They will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. As they’re already peeled, a light frosting may appear on the surface; place in cold water for a few minutes and they will return to their brilliant orange colour. How to prepare Trim ends and peel. Slice as required. Popular grated, finely sliced or diced for salads and juiced. Leave baby carrots whole and young carrots don’t need peeling. Wash well or lightly scrape to ensure all soil is removed. Old and large carrots need to be peeled. Carrots are versatile in both preparation and cooking methods. Cut into rings, cubes, strips, or chunks. Carrots are often grated for salads; vary the size of grater and experiment with the more interesting coarse graters or peelers. Ways to eat They can be eaten raw as snacks, or cooked and used in savoury and some sweet dishes, such as carrot cake or muffins. Carrots should be cooked until they are tender and depending on preference, still slightly crunchy. Cooked, tender carrots may be mashed or puréed. Cooking methods Bake, barbecue, boil, braise, microwave, roast, steam, stew, stir fry. Nutrition Carrots are a good source of vitamin A, from carotenoids, in particular beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A by the body. One medium carrot supplies more than the recommended dietary intake for a day. Carrots are also a source of dietary fibre, folate and vitamin B6 and contain a dietary significant amount of potassium. The main phytonutrients in carrots are the carotenoids and falcarinol which are being studied for their protection against some cancers. Nutrition table CARROTS Raw Nutrition Information Serving size: 1 cup slices = 128g Average Quantity % Daily Intake per serve Average Quantity per serving per 100g Energy (kJ/Cal) 200/48 2% 156/37 Protein (g) 0.8 2% 0.6 Fat, total (g) 0.3 0% 0.2  – saturated (g) 0.03 0% 0.03 Available carbohydrate (g) 8.7 3% 6.8  – sugars (g) 8.4 9% 6.6 Dietary Fibre (g) 3.6 2.8 A source of dietary fibre Sodium (mg) 52 2% 41 Vitamin A Equiv. (µg) 1116 149% RDI* 872 A good source of vitamin A Folate (µg) 27 13% RDI* 21 A source of folate Vitamin B6 (mg) 0.15 10% RDI* 0.12 A source of vitamin B6 Potassium (mg) 223 174 Contains potassium Niacin (mg) 0.6 6% RDI* 0.5 Vitamin C (mg) 2 5% RDI* 2 Percentage Daily Intakes are based on an average adult diet of 8700 kJ Your daily Intakes may be higher or lower depending on your energy needs.  *Recommended Dietary Intake (Average Adult) Source: FOODfiles 2018