Gold in the Garden!

Yes! I found gold in the garden today! I was meandering around aimlessly..not doing anything in particular when all of a sudden I spied it! Gold! I was elated to say the least! Who wouldn't be??? Gold! No, not gold in the sense of being a metal but gold just the same! My carrots had made beautiful, luscious golden roots! I know that carrots are one of the cheapest vegetables that can be bought but until you have tasted one pulled from the garden soil, you have not really tasted a carrot! Believe it or not, there is an intense difference in taste! Trust me when I tell you that you will never really like carrots from the baggy in the store after having fresh ones. They are truly gold! Now actually, I am thrilled not just by the fact that my carrots developed into nice roots but also that I finally have discovered a great way to grow them! The ground around this place is either "rock" hard or sand..and by sand, I mean sand as in beach sand! Hurricane Katrina dumped literally tons of salty beach sand in my yard. As any well-respecting gardener will tell you, salty sand is not really the ideal soil to garden. The salt has a tendency to burn everything it touches so you wind up with lovely brown plants! But as I said, I think I have found a way around this. This year when I planted my carrot seeds, I sowed them in a raised bed that was filled with compost and cow manure! This rich soil stayed soft and allowed the carrots to expand to a decent size and the raised garden kept the rabbits at bay. Not that they couldn't jump the height of the boards around the bed but I think it was just intimidating enough to deter them. So two problems solved and gold was found in the garden!

Carrots are high in Vitamin A and are an excellent source of antioxidants. This makes them a wise choice in protecting the body against heart disease and cancers. Plus..the old adage about carrots helping the eyesight..its true! So..eat your carrots..they are gold from the garden!

Now a few tidbits about the part of the carrot that most people toss into the garbage..the green tops. The leaves of the carrot are edible even though they tend to be a tad bitter when eaten alone. To hide this bitterness, try sauteing them with a bit of onion and garlic and then add some crumbled bacon. Or use them in Carrot and Rice Soup. Saute one cup diced onion and one minced clove of garlic in a tablespoon of butter. Add six cups of chicken broth, two cups of diced carrots, one cup of carrot greens (use the feathery parts that have been pulled from the stems), 1/2 cup uncooked rice, salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer until rice is tender. Medicinally, carrot greens are high in potassium, Vitamin K and Chlorophyll. (Chlorophyll cleanses the blood, lymph nodes and adrenal glands!) Carrot greens have been shown to have antiseptic qualities. A poultice made with honey can be used to disinfect wounds! Chewing the tops has been proven to be helpful with the treatment of mouth ulcers and bleeding gums not to mention helps cleanse the breath. There is also an ongoing study involving the use of carrot greens to combat cancerous tumors. Also, these greens are a diuretic and help to treat edema. One last use is to rid the body of internal parasites and worms! The amazing Carrot! The super plant! Gold from the Garden!