I am the type of person who hates to waste food; I seriously try and get the very last drop, of everything. For instance, I keep my peels on my apples when I make apple sauce ’cause I think it’s wasteful to chuck ’em. And if I do peel them, I feed them to my kids to make sure they don’t go to waste. I save my strawberries greens in the freezer and pop them into smoothies. And I save the ends of my veggies (such as carrot ends, celery ends, the top half of leeks, etc.) for when I make either a bone broth or just a veggie broth. Just pop ’em into a freezer bag or container and once it’s full enough, make a broth!
Therefore, when I started getting bunched carrots with tops on them in my Farmbound Box order, I started looking into what I could do with them besides just chuck them into the compost.
What I found was amazing goodness! I was actually amazed at all of the health benefits of carrot tops. Our Creator thinks of everything. I’m convinced He doesn’t like to waste things either 😉
The Health Benefits of the Carrot Top
Carrot tops are legit filled with so much goodness. I know it seems a little odd, but honestly, there are numerous health benefits of carrot tops. They are a nutrient-dense green well worth adding into the diet!
Alright, what’s all in them? I’m glad you asked! Here’s the line-up carrot tops contain:
- Vitamin A, C, and K
- Calcium
- Iron
- Potassium
- Chlorophyll, which just so happens to be a great source of magnesium!
- Fiber
- Phenolic compounds and carotenoids,
- Trace amounts of other antioxidants
All this goodness means that carrot tops are beneficial for boosting the immune system, aiding with digestion, eliminating toxins and detoxifying (thanks to that chlorophyll especially!). Because of the antioxidants, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene, they are also wonderful for eye health! These antioxidants are great for protecting our retina’s from oxidative stress.
In addition, more benefits include improving blood circulation, aiding in a healthy heart, helps improve anemia, and even positively affects kidney concerns! If you want to know more about the benefits of carrot tops check out this site: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/carrotops.html – it’s a whole website devoted to carrots. Yep, a website solely about carrots.
How to Eat Carrot Tops
Really, carrot tops can be seen like any other green. Which means they can be used in salads, in stir-frys, and beyond. Wash them up, chop them up and toss them in. Super simple. They tend to be on the bitter side of greens, therefore starting off with small quantities is probably ideal.
Personally, I’ve juiced them, used them in stir-frys and my most recent taste of them as been in a pesto! I LOVE pesto! It’s bright and green and there are many ways to make it. I’ve made it in such a variety of ways, however, I really love the vegan, hemp ones I make the most.
My most recent pesto is carrot top hemp pesto, which my husband said “this is delicious” of. My kids also all really enjoyed it and were disappointed when they found out we ate it all. I’d say it’s a winner when both my husband AND kids want more!
While I forgot to take some good photos to share of the pesto, I did make a video showing you how easy it is to make!
Carrot Top Hemp Pesto
The Recipe
- 1 bunch of organic carrot tops, washed & chopped
- 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup organic hemp hearts
- 1/4 cup organic hemp oil
- 1/4 cup organic, extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp spirulina
- 1 small chunk fermented or fresh turmeric *optional
- 1/2-1 tsp sea salt, to taste black pepper to taste
- Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth. Add a bit more oil for a less thick pesto; adjust garlic, salt & pepper to liking. Eat it with everything 🙂
So now you know the amazing health benefits of carrot tops and how to use them!
To sum up, don’t chuck your carrot tops anymore! Our wonderful Creator said we can eat all the greens, and this would include carrot tops 🥕 They are nutrient-dense and delicious!
Make sure to let me know in the comments below how the recipe turns out for you! I’d also love to hear if you’ve ever used carrot tops before and how you’ve used them. What’s your favourite way to eat them? And if you’ve got a favourite pesto I’d love for you to share that too!
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