Keeping Carots Crisp - Cooling at market?

AJ Drew · Mar 31, 2016

In the grocery store, I often see carrots in a plastic bag. Is that the trick to keeping them crisp? Mine come out the ground and have maybe a few hours before they start getting rubber like. Does anyone know a trick to keeping them crisp at market? Have been spraying with water, helps a bit but not all that much.

I need about a day and a half. They come out of the ground on pick up days, anything left next day goes to food pantry. But they never make it because they dont get sprayed over night.

SmokenFire · Mar 31, 2016

Have you tried icewater AJ? For carrots its more temperature and moisture in my experience. So you could have them bundled in a cooler with ice and then pull a few out when the ones on the table sell. We leave carrots in the ground until just before the first hard freeze here and then I pull em, put them in sand in a big laundry tub and stow them in the crawl space. We were eating fresh carrots from the garden in Feb this year. You'd be amazed how sweet carrots get after a frost!

AJ Drew · Mar 31, 2016

Ya know, I thought that in water they would go rubbery but not that I think, its not getting water that probably does it, it is loosing water. Next time at grocery store, going to see where they keep them. Bet you are right and they are in the cooler.

Topsmoke · Mar 31, 2016

I have an amazing trick that has kept radishes and horseradish crisp for weeks. Radish go limp in like 3hrs in the fridge. I found a video online (from a local chef coincidentally) explaining that if you wrap the produce in a wet paper towel then place it in a plastic bag it will stay firm. I haven't tried this with carrots but I'm confident it will work, seems to be a root vegetable thing. you would wrap a bunch, you dont need to wrap them individually.

AJ Drew · Mar 31, 2016

Topsmoke, willing to bet that trick and the carrots in the sand actually keep the plant alive, thus preserving the crisp.

salsalady · Mar 31, 2016

The local market covers the produce in wet burlap sacks overnight. They have those automatic water spraying things on all the store produce displays, but I don't knoiw if the nozzles spray at night while the produce is covered with burlap.

AJ Drew · Apr 1, 2016

I am going to have to double check, but I am sure the grocery here has them in plastic bags. I wonder if its not a special variety. Being able to sell a thing is one of the driving forces behind hybrids. Only makes sense they would want a variety that stays crisp.

AJ Drew · Apr 1, 2016

Someone wrote me on Facebook where I asked the same question. Says they are washed and waxed right out the ground. The wash puts water into them, the wax keeps the moisture in so they are crisper.

Topsmoke · Apr 2, 2016

ajdrew said:
Topsmoke, willing to bet that trick and the carrots in the sand actually keep the plant alive, thus preserving the crisp.

yeah makes sense, its like planting it.