Raw Food Health Tips: What To Do With Carrot Tops and Other Extraneous Vegetable Greens
by Donna Arvidson and Rachelle Fordyce
When cleaning your carrots what do you do with the green tops?
Do you just cut them off and toss them into your garbage can to be hauled into the landfill? Maybe you are a composting type person and you toss them into the compost bin. Better to compost them than have the valuable greens hauled away.
But did you know the carrot tops are tasty and nutritious?
Carrot Tops are Nutritious!
It’s true: Carrot tops are tasty and nutritious, so there’s no need to simply throw them away!
Have you ever smelled the aroma when cutting off the tops of carrots? There is a wonderful aroma of green sweetness in them and a very fresh flavor, too.
Chop or tear the most delicate ones and sprinkle some of the greens into your salad and then chop up some more to add to homemade soups. Your can juice them, too! Only then should the extras be tossed into the compost bin.
Did you know when buying fresh carrots with the tops still on that the tops are absorbing nutrients from the root and you should remove them as soon as possible? How many times have you just discarded them thinking they are only a decoration with no other good use!
Other Less Common Greens
There are other garden plants like carrots that we have been convinced to eat only that part to which is customary and toss the rest: Cauliflower leaves, broccoli leaves and even red beet leaves are nutritious and taste good, too.
Maybe you have seen some of these leaves in “gourmet” salads at some fancier restaurants or mixes at the grocery store.
By using these leaves in your meal you are eating more of the colors of the rainbow and adding nutrients hard to come by in our typical and mundane diet.
Composting Tips
If you are new to composting you may not know the allium family of plants should not be added to compost: That is any onion or garlic pieces, as they are not helpful to the bacteria that make compost work.
The same qualities the alliums have which are good to our body are not good to compost!
Another crop not good for compost or our consumption is the potato. The leaves are poisonous and the skin of the potato can harbor numerous problems better left out of our compost pile — especially if you are planning on growing your own potatoes.
So, eat a good variety of greens, get your alliums and keep your compost heap healthy and full! When you do, you will know you will remain healthy and full, too. 😉