At Sterling, we’ve been doing a seed trial program with High Mowing Seeds testing out the company’s numerous varieties and seeing which grows best, tastes best raw, and cooks best.
This year, we tested many varieties of carrots, beets, and cabbage.
As part of this seed trial program, we’ve developed a series of recipes to showcase the vibrant freshness of our produce in general and specifically highlight the characteristics of this produce which was grown in the Sterling Gardens.
We tested a carrot-dill soup.
Carrots are a member of the Apiaceae family, which includes celery, anise, dill, and cilantro. Carrots are a biennial crop meaning that they produce their taproot their first year, by the second they flower, then set seed, and die.
The most popular color of carrot in the U.S. is orange, which we typically see in stores, but they do come in a range of color from red and yellow to purple. California produces over eighty-five percent of all carrots in the U.S.
The carrot is one of the most important root vegetables, second to the potato, grown in temperate regions of the world. It is known to be one of the earliest vegetables discovered in the tenth century in Persia and Asia Minor. Today’s orange rooted carrot is genetically different than that of the late tenth century carrot.
Our recipe calls for:
1 lb carrots, roughly chopped
1 cup medium diced onion
1/2 cup medium diced celery
1 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
5 cups vegetable broth
½ cup roughly chopped dill
1 cup heavy cream (optional)
4 tbsp oil
Instructions:
In a medium stock pot, lightly heat garlic and onion in olive oil.
Add celery.
Add carrots.
Reduce heat, to avoid burning the vegetables.
After five minutes of cooking the carrots, add the vegetable stock.
Bring to a rolling boil ,and then lower the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for twenty minutes.
When the carrots are tender, blend with cream if desired.
Garnish with dill, and serve.
This soup is a healthy recipe that highlights the natural sweetness of the carrots grown in our garden. It’s a perfect recipe to feature Sterling-Grown produce, it is easy to make, and it tastes delicious.
Nutrition information for five servings:
Written by Ariel Drouault and Kesha Medina.
