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Thursday, November 6, 2014

The Nutrition of Carrots

Aren't carrots pretty? It's nice that some foods that are good for you are also attractive and appetizing. Now that we have had some success at growing a small patch of carrots, the nutritional benefits of home grown, non-chemicalized carrots can be at our fingertips, either raw, cooked fresh into a meal, canned or dehydrated. Another added benefit is the possibility of using them as a supplement to our animal feed.


Since we are growing another fall crop of carrots and hope to be able to eat them fresh through the winter, another experiment and learning opportunity, I will start off with the nutrients for raw carrots.




1 cup of raw carrots include the following nutrients.

  • calories 17.6
  • carbohydrates 3.9g
  • protein 0.8g
  • vitamin A alone is 6372 IU
  • vitamins E, C, K
  • folate
  • calcium
  • phosphorus
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • sodium
  • omega-3 & omega 6 fatty acids

Compare that to 1 cup of canned, sliced carrots with salt.

  • calories 28.7
  • carbohydrates 6.6g
  • protein 0.7g
  • vitamin A alone is 15085 IU
  • vitamins E, C, K
  • folate
  • calcium
  • phosphorus
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • sodium
  • omega-3 & omega 6 fatty acids

I was surprised at the increase in most nutrients from the cooked carrots. I always thought it would be less because of the leaching of nutrients into the water, although this list does include the liquid. The only reason I can come up with is that maybe you can get more cooked carrots vs. raw carrots in a one cup serving.

We are very curious to see how our fall crop of carrots turn out. So far they are growing pretty well and weren't affected by our first frost. We will be having a few more frosts over the next week and I expect the cooler temperatures to slow down the growing process. They were very slow to get started, but I planted them when the weather was still pretty hot and they didn't seem to appreciate the temperatures in the 90's. 

 

The opportunity to learn new things that will benefit both man and beast is an enjoyable experience for us. Not only that, but it could mean a few more things to increase our chances of survival should things collapse and we have to live by the sweat of our brows, instead of by the availability of food on the store shelves. And besides that, we prefer to eat food that has been grown without any chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides. We are grateful we have the freedom to choose.

Until next time - Fern



P.S. Patrice Lewis, from Rural Revolution, has started doing podcasts about homesteading and prepping over at The Survival Mom Radio Network. If you haven't had a chance to listen to them, we would recommend you do so. They are informative, encouraging and convey the message Patrice brings us regularly in a way that the printed word just can't project. We enjoy listening to them weekly.

12 comments:

  1. I love carrots! I have seen several posts lately about fermenting carrots, which sounds interesting. I read somewhere that carrots actually started out being red and/or purple, and the orange color has developed from selective breeding over time. Apparently, the red and purple carrots are more nutritious because of the added anti-oxidants they carry - thus their color! Besides - purple carrots are just more fun! Thanks for the heads-up about the podcast with Patrice Lewis. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks for the information about purple carrots, Vickie. I hope you enjoy listening to Patrice. We do.

      Fern

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  2. Great picture of the moon. And thanks for the hint on the podcasts. I follow both the Survival Mom blog & Rural Revolution when there is time. Have been reading your blog for about 6 months without posting. Thanks for sharing your wisdom with all of us and praying that you are both feeling much better.

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    1. We are both doing much better, Mary. Thank you for your kind thoughts, and I'm glad we got to hear from you.

      That's the first moon picture I got to come out okay. I played with some settings on the camera I had never used before. I'm glad you enjoyed the picture.

      I think you will enjoy Patrice's podcasts. Thank you for sharing. Take care.

      Fern

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  3. I adore carrots. Every year I grow more than the year before because I always run out too soon. I use them in everything except my morning coffee.

    Thanks for the tip on the podcast...I listened to one of Mrs. Lewis' broadcasts. She has a lovely voice!

    Just Me

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    1. I'm glad you don't put carrots in your coffee, Just Me. That sounds terrible! (-:

      Fern

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  4. I grew carrots in buckets this year...yes another bucket experiment. The Pariseine did quite well but they are a smaller round carrot and perfect for pickling whole or just enjoying fresh. The Nantes and Cosmic Purple did NOT like the pails at all.

    http://www.smartgardener.com/plants/699-carrot-parisienne/overview

    I am cutting and pasting your nutrition information and then printing copies to add to our Vegetable guide, each Vegetable has a section with growing information, varieties that work and now Nutrition info.. Thank you!

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    1. There is always more to learn from the latest experiment, Fiona. Maybe next year you will have your new piece of ground to plant your carrots, instead of having to use buckets.

      I am honored to be a part your Vegetable Guide. It's a very good idea to print out the information you want to keep for the long run. This wonderful internet may not always be with us. Thank you for sharing, Fiona.

      Fern

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  5. I love carrots, but I've never grown any. Hmmmm I wonder why? I guess I'll have to try! LOL!!!

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    1. It sounds like you will have a carrot patch in your garden next spring, SFG.

      Fern

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