I often eat raw carrots as part of a small plate of other raw vegetables including broccoli, tomatoes, onions, etc. Basically a mini tossed salad without the lettuce. While I use to think of carrots as tasteless orange fiber, I have grown to appreciate some of the tastier ones. My problem is that I cannot consistently get the really good ones. I found that buying organic carrots gives better flavor and consistency, but still the "same" bag of whole carrots can taste different each time. My favorites seem a touch sweet and minty at the same time. Searching online I read complaints about spicy and soapness which might be a factor. I had never thought of carrots as being soapy until reading about it and thinking about some of the off flavors. This outline may be off base but the spectrum of flavors seems to progress from: tasteless -> sweet -> minty -> spicy -> bitter -> burnt/smoky. Are these flavors affected by harvest time, shelf age, growing conditions, or something else?
I am trying to figure out which ones to buy, whether that is brand, variety, time of year, etc. I have not bought the individual ones with the green tops, perhaps I should be getting those.
I am trying to figure out which ones to buy, whether that is brand, variety, time of year, etc. I have not bought the individual ones with the green tops, perhaps I should be getting those.