HARVESTING: Ox Heart Carrots

June 10, 2018. More often than not, I grow for the fun of seeing plants like these ‘Ox Heart’ carrots. The larger carrots weigh around 20 ounces (a little over a pound.) Carrots make good edible landscaping plants. Especially when the goal is seed saving. They can grown as ornamentals and in the process frees gardening space for other crops. Carrots are also fun to harvest and I got to share the fun with our oldest. Large harvest like these are rare for us these days as we have turned our focus onto very small and super fresh harvests. These ‘ox heart’ carrots were pulled to grow something else. We will be sharing this abundance with our rabbit, tortoises, and ducks (from carrot top to carrot bottom. The actual carrot itself will be given as treats.)

This carrot is one of the easiest carrots to grow– easy in terms of getting a straight and filled out looking carrot. As imagined, the flavor becomes more mild as they get bigger. This flavor profile makes them ideal for stewing and dishes that incorporate a lot of seasoning. While probably not a great one for the kitchen, they are excellent in permaculture soil breaking applications. ‘Ox heart’ carrots may be grown in compacted soil as a way to naturally loosen soil.

Special acknowledgement to Owen for his fine camera work in one of the scenes.

Zone 10b / San Gabriel Valley / Los Angeles / Southern California / USA

Music: Dan Lebowitz, “Parkside.”
E’s Jammy Jams, “Shine on Harvest Moon”

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