Carrots are typically just thrown in the fridge and forgotten about until it is time to cook, but if stored correctly they can last months instead of only a few days.
Nancy Birtwhistle, an expert gardener and baker best known for winning the Great British Bake Off, has discovered a way to get carrots and other vegetables to last six months.
In her book ‘The Green Gardening Handbook’, Nancy explained that her husband once bought two bags of carrots at the shops when a deal was on, and she was concerned about wasting food as she knew she would not be able to use them all up before they spoiled.
She wrote: “I knew that if I left these carrots in their plastic bags within a few days the whole lot would be soggy and would end up being tossed into my compost bin.”
Nancy then decided to conduct a food storage experiment, and after five weeks she had used up all the carrots except for one, which she decided to store to see how long it could keep fresh for.
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Nancy wrote: “My carrot experiment went on for six months – can you believe it? At the end of this time, I decided to peel and chop the carrot even though by this time I had gotten quite attached to her.
“The carrot was still moist, had no blemishes once peeled, was firm and a perfect colour, and had the same taste and texture as any other carrot.”
How to store carrots correctly
To try out Nancy’s incredible method, you first need to remove carrots from the original plastic packaging they come in from the supermarket and make sure not to wash them unless you are cooking them.
Nancy said: “I go for unwashed carrots as I find they keep well in a cool garage for several weeks whereas washed supermarket carrots sold in plastic bags last just a matter of days, going soggy, mouldy and sprouting if not looked after.”
Carrots are highly sensitive to moisture and need a balanced humidity and steady temperature to keep fresh. When washed beforehand and then stored in the fridge in a plastic container, the moisture can build up and cause them to go mouldy.
However, the fridge can often be too dry an environment for carrots which can cause them to wilt and dehydrate before their time if left exposed on a shelf. Keeping carrots at the correct humidity in a cool environment is the key to making them last for months instead of days.
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To keep carrots fresh, you will need clean cotton cloths such as a tea towel, napkin or handkerchief, and then all you need to do is wrap the carrots in the damp cloth before placing them in the fridge.
Nancy explained: “Take a clean cloth, dampen it with cold water, then lay it out onto a work surface portrait style.
“Starting from the top, lay two carrots or other veggies side by side and fold over the tops and sides. Continue with additional carrots, tucking under the side flaps then rolling the cloth into a huge sausage.”
Store the damp towels in the fridge, and carrots will keep fresher for weeks or even months instead of lasting only a few days.
This food storage works to keep the carrots at a consistent humidity level and temperature and will work with other vegetables as well, but make sure not to mix up the vegetables together. Only use one tea towel per type of vegetable.
Nancy said: “Stored like this in damp towels in the salad compartment of the fridge, your salads, fruits and other veggies will keep for weeks rather than days.”
