If you’re anything like me, carrots are life.
Those long, orange (or white, yellow, red, purple… whatever your carrots may be!) roots simply call to your soul with their satisfying, flavor-packed crunch.
Carrots will go with nearly anything on your plate, too…. it’s impossible to argue that with a carrot fiend like myself.
Carrots are simply a requirement in the early spring garden! So much so, that I have some purple carrots growing right on my porch!
But… what do you do when you find that your lovely orange carrot has ugly green shoulders under those leafy tops? Are green carrots safe to eat? Should you be scared that the green carrots may be poisonous?
Don’t worry, I’ll answer all of your questions and reassure you if you stick with us for a few minutes; afterwards, you can head over to this sweet recent recipe post so that you’ve got a use for those monstrous, “inedible” zucchinis, too!
Are Green Carrots Safe to Eat?
If you buy your carrots from a grocery store, you won’t be as likely to see those green shoulders on your carrots. They seem to be far more commonly found in the home garden. That isn’t to say that you will not find them in your supermarket, because you will; it’s inevitable.
When people spot green “tops” on their carrots, they’re usually referring to the top of the taproot, called the “shoulder”. The shoulder is where the carrot erupts from the ground, producing the tops; the carrot tops are the leafy foliage of a carrot. Are the green carrot shoulders safe to eat, though? It’s a resounding yes! The carrot’s tops, or greens, are safe to eat, as well. The science behind a green carrot is similar to that of a green potato- with vastly different outcomes. Let’s dive in, and explore WHY your carrot becomes green, and how they differ from potatoes.
Why Does a Carrot’s Shoulders Turn Green?
As a carrot plant grows, the foliage feeds a growing taproot with energy provided by photosynthesis from the sun’s light. This taproot will continue to plump up, hidden from the sunlight by the soil surrounding it.
- This taproot will overwinter into a second year (carrots are biennial plants), producing a massive plant that resembles Queen Anne’s Lace. This plant will flower, go to seed, and die out. Then, the cycle starts all over again.
As the tap root of the carrot plant comes to maturity, the shoulders tend to erupt from the surface due to the size of the carrots. They virtually push themselves up and out of the soil! Once the shoulders are exposed to sunlight, they begin to turn green. This occurs due to the chlorophyll in the root of the carrot.
Why Does Chlorophyll In a Carrot Not Turn Green While In the Ground?
When a carrot is hidden under the earth, the sunlight is not able to reach the root. Therefore, the chlorophyll will not react with the light. However, exposure to light will cause the chlorophyll to become active. Thus, the carrot turns a frightening shade of green! The carrot will only turn green where it is exposed to sunlight, so be sure to keep your carrots out of the sun’s rays if you want them to remain delightfully orange.
These green shoulders also signal that a carrot is ready to be harvested. If you have not been able to figure out when to harvest your carrots, exposed shoulders are an excellent sign! Carrots don’t always grow to their full potential for various reasons, so smaller tap roots may confuse some gardeners. Look for the “peek a boo” carrots and harvest away, just don’t expect all carrots to be hefty 3/4″ to 1 1/4″+ roots.
What’s the Difference Between Green Carrots and Toxic Green Potatoes?
Both carrots and potatoes will turn green when exposed to sunlight. As the chlorophyll gets to work, the color of the tap roots and tubers will change. However, just because carrots are safe to eat, that doesn’t mean potatoes are; and vice versa.
Carrot roots and tops are safe to eat, even if the root gains a bit of green coloring. At one time, carrot tops were thought to be poisonous, much like potatoes. That is why you don’t see carrot tops widely eaten in the way that sweet potato leaves are.
However, while potatoes are edible and delicious, the potato plant isn’t. The potato plant is in the nightshade family, along with peppers and tomatoes. However, the plants themselves are toxic. The potato plant produces solanine, which is toxic for us to ingest. Normally, potato tubers do not contain this toxin….
That is, unless they are exposed to sunlight! Once a potato tuber is exposed to sunlight, chlorophyll will become active and solanine will be produced. This is why you should never eat the potato plant, green parts of a potato tuber, or the sprouts on a potato.
If Green Carrots are Harmless, Why Do So Many People Think They’re Poisonous?
Due to the toxic nature of solanine within potatoes, people avoided eating the green potatoes. It is believed that people thought the same process occurred when carrots turned green, causing them to avoid the carrot foliage and the green shoulders of a carrot. It’s easy enough to cut the affected portion off, and carrot tops never quite made their big debut as a side dish; therefore, this common belief still is held throughout people of many different ages.
I Cut Off All of The Green Shoulders On My Carrots; What Can I Do to Preserve Them?
If you have cut your carrots, they will not store for very long in cool storage or in a refrigerator. Once you damage the skin, the root will rot far more quickly. Therefore, you will NEED to preserve them. Try out some of these ideas!
Blanch & Freeze Whole
If you will be roasting many of your carrots, why not freeze them whole? They could go straight from the freezer to the oven for an easy side dish. This is going to be one of the quickest ways to process the carrots. Simply clean the carrots, dunk them in boiling water for 5 minutes, drop them in an ice bath to cool them, drain the carrots, then space them out on a cookie sheet just enough to keep them from touching. Place this tray in the freezer to flash freeze them. Once they are mostly or completely frozen, place them into freeze bags, label them, and date them!
Freezing Cut Carrot Chips or Diced Carrots
If you prefer the smaller chips or dices, then you will follow a similar process as above; instead, cut the carrots into 1/4″ thick slices or dice them, blanch for 2 minutes instead of 5, and prepare more cookie sheets for freezing. This takes a little more work, but this is all work you won’t have to do while prepping future meals (such as cutting the carrots for soup or as a side).
Dehydrating Carrot Chips
If your dehydrator is feeling kind of lonely, why not fire her up and dehydrate some carrot chips? These chips will not take up freezer space, they can be stored in the pantry, they will lose a ton of weight and bulk, and they are excellent nutritional boosts for soups, stews, roasts, and crockpot recipes! Simply cut 1/4″ carrot chips, line them up on dehydrator trays (barely touching), and dry them until crisp. It is important to make sure that the carrots are completely dry. Once dry, move them into an airtight container for storage. Add some silica packets to absorb any moisture that may enter the jar to extend the shelf life of the carrots.
If you don’t know how to tell if the moisture level in your dehydrated carrots is low enough, take the largest chip in the dehydrator and snap it in half. If it breaks, they are dry enough. The dryer they are, the better they will store in your pantry!
