So I have carrots...

[Kageri]

A 1' high by 3' long pile of carrots across my kitchen floor that were planted by the previous owners before we moved in. I have no idea what to do with them. I've never grown carrots. I went with a site that said remove greenery, dry for 24hrs in the sun, and store in crisper drawer with brown paper for 4-6months. A few days later my test carrots were rubber so I chopped them up and froze them for soup carrots. Better ideas or am I doing a lot of chopping?

[tomc]

Storage carrots are collected near autumn frost, and then alowed to air dry. its way too hot in August. Wash dry and fridge August carrots.

An October carrot is going to be three or four times larger...

[Kageri]

Person who planted them said they were done and if I didn't dig them up she was going to do it next time she's here. We just moved in and have an odd arrangement with the previous owners. What consistency do they come out if I froze them? I was told that works for soup and stews. The only other use we have for carrots is a type of curry my husband makes. We don't eat them plain.

[applestar]

If you are going to cook them, then I think cutting them to size, parboiling then freezing would be best. I would freeze on a cookie sheet in single layer/individually, then transfer to a zip or vacuum bag. Another option might be in a zip/freezer bag filled then empty spaces filled with water into an ice block (takes up space, but makes uniform/stackable blocks especially if frozen in a mold).

If you have a pressure canner, you can pressure can them. Carrots can't be hot water bath bottled (unless they are pickled in vinegar). ...which leads me to ask ...have you considered making pickled carrots? They would go really well with curry. I believe there are also chutney recipes, though I can't think of one off-hand.

...you will still be doing a lot of chopping

[Kageri]

Canning is a future plan. I'm not ready to try it this year. We have a chest freezer so space is not much of an issue. Although my husband wants a side of buffalo. Do I need to peel the carrots?

[tomc]

I might peel carrots, I would definately wash and brush them.

[jal_ut]

Carrots finished? Carrots will continue to grow up until frost. Full season carrots can get huge, up to two pounds each root. Carrots are of biennial growth habit and will bloom the second year. The first year they just make a big root.

Storage: I just store them in in the root cellar or a pit. They will keep all winter this way. They can be washed, bagged and kept in the refrigerator for quite a while. For bottling, they are pressure cooked. Check the Ball Blue Book for the recipe.

If you want to store some in a pit, just dig a hole, toss in the carrots and cover it up with the soil you took out. If you are looking at storing through winter this way, the carrots must be below frost line or they will freeze.

[Lindsaylew82]

You'll need to blanch them (boil them) before you freeze them.

I like them pickled, dill pickle style, and they don't require pressure canning this way. Very yummy in salads like this!

[Kageri]

Everything I read said to dig carrots up when they reached 3/4-1" across the tops.

We don't eat salads. Normally we don't even plant many vegetables. More herbs and melons/fruit. I was going to venture in to the world of carrots so I'm glad to experiment with their carrots before I plant mine next year. Also going to do some garlic, corn, and squash which I have limited experience with. The squash is my attempt to eat more vegetables. I'll probably put in some swiss chard and pole beans just cause I have the space and use them as trade items.

[applestar]

Thanks Lindsay, I guess I did mean "blanch" them. I got those two terms "parboil" and "blanch" mixed up. Partially cook then plunge in ice water to quickly cool.

[jal_ut]

There are several varieties of carrots. Some are long and slim and some are short and fat. I have to plant the short ones here as I can't get the long ones out of my tight clay soil. You can pull carrots at any stage of their development or when they are the size you desire. Have fun!