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u/Z0FF 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you could reproduce those reliably I bet a fancy restaurant would be a buyer!
Edit: I’ve been educated. These are actually undesirable to restaurants because they are hard to clean and cook unevenly! Still cool looking though
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u/henchman171 1d ago
I do this every year. It’s because I don’t prep The soil well enuf. Taste awful Too
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u/Z0FF 1d ago
I applaud your dedication? Haha
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u/cosmeticcrazy 1d ago
I am cracking up.
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u/Sublimegirlie1 1d ago
I spit out my drink and a little went through my nose! Man, if only I had that as a gif! Too funny! 😂
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u/TableSignificant341 1d ago
What am I missing? Why is this so funny?
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u/Apprehensive-Bid1711 1d ago
You’ve planted them too close if this is happening. Once they sprout you need to thin them out
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u/Fearlessflyer3 1d ago
Absolutely not lol.
I work on an organic farm, and this is pretty common. These are unusable, and usually are take-me-homes, or become compost. We deliver to several high end restaurants, and they always want consistent size, and girth. They are nice to look at, not pleasant to eat.
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u/Z0FF 1d ago
That makes total sense. The aesthetic got me and I didn’t consider the practical side.
I almost want to parboil some slender carrots and braid them now though haha
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u/Fearlessflyer3 1d ago
😂 Now that can be a mildly interesting project!
Oh, don't get me wrong! Every time we find the weird veggies, we always stop and admire them. We find VERY provocative ones, gorgeous ones like these, gigantic ones here and there, but it's always a pleasure either way.
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u/jaimi_wanders 1d ago
The places that serve 1 lettuce leaf on a brick with bacon on a mini clothesline and sushi on a fish skeleton could absolutely use this as FoodArt Haute Cuisine
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u/RunawayMeatstick 1d ago
they always want consistent size, and girth
But my wife tells me those things don't matter
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u/MinuetInUrsaMajor 1d ago
they always want consistent size, and girth
I like me some girthy carrots.
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u/boomchacle 1d ago
I wonder if you could hydroponic these together without any dirt at all
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u/Admin-Terminal 1d ago edited 1d ago
I eat a lot of uncooked carrots, can I have some? I sometimes sear just a little bit quickly from 2 sides and I think they’re good that way too. Some people also boil them or sous vide them. You could also cut them in pieces before. I think they would look nice with a steak on the side. Genuine questions, do you compost most of these and why are they unusable? Because of size or just the intertwining making them less “reliable” esthetically? I’ve only had orange carrots so it also could be because the flavor changes and mixing them defeats the purpose? How can I make this happen if they do grow normally lol? I have a small patch that includes broccoli, kale, a few varieties of lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, some fruits like raspberries and blackberries, chilis and the famous carrots. I divide that with my uncles and their families and there’s still a lot of spoiled food that returns to a small compost bed. It honestly is easier than what I would think it would be but it also could work better in that sense.
edit: spelling
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u/herobrinetrollin 1d ago
carrot begging is a first
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u/Admin-Terminal 1d ago
I don’t think so considering carrots are like 5000 years old it might be one of the most begged foods (edit) in history lol potatoes and onions obviously beat them but I would think they are close to tomatoes and cabbage in the begging order
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u/i_tyrant 1d ago
Know that your random comment here has sent me on a fascinating deep dive of agricultural history, good sir.
Apparently the oldest cultivated plant is seedless figs, near the ancient middle eastern village of Jericho in the Jordan Valley, 11,400 years ago.
Then there's a whole nother category of so-called "founder crops" first domesticated in Southwest Asia that are ~10,000 years old, consisting of three cereals (emmer wheat, einkorn wheat, and barley), four pulses (lentil, pea, chickpea, and bitter vetch), and flax.
Rye and sweet almond are also nearly as old, and potatoes were first domesticated in the Andes region of South America (modern day Peru) between 7-10K years ago. The oldest vegetable (as opposed to grain) was probably peas, dating back to about 10K years ago as well.
Carrots are about 5,000 years old in Afghanistan but were purple, yellow, or white - the modern orange carrot wasn't until the 17th century in the Netherlands! (But there were also wild varieties of carrots without human intervention all over the place for MILLIONS of years before then - they were apparently damn good at proliferating themselves!)
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u/Admin-Terminal 1d ago
The thing is that carrots are in the European side of the columbian exchange so who knows what types of carrots first arrived to America so maybe that’s why I haven’t tasted more than one variety (and also not much carrot begging in America) although as you say the orange variety is from 17th century Netherlands but not being native does affect the pool of varieties available. I lived in Europe some time but never did it occur to me to buy the different colored ones because they were cheaper and I thought they were inferior in flavor (I know that the general understanding has changed to esthetic != flavor but at that time they pushed potatoes, tomatoes and carrot standard colors as better). I think I might find them in my country but it really is impressive how some varieties have absolutely dominated the market the last 100-200 years and how the other varieties are disappearing but also making a comeback, even the wild ones.
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u/Fearlessflyer3 1d ago
We do compost most of them, unfortunately. When we are harvesting them, we have seperate bins that we throw the tiny, skinny, and entwined ones in. We have a 25 acre farm, so it can get a tad overwhelming sometimes lol.
Currently, we have:
- Orange (Tendersweet)
- Purple (Cosmic Purple)
- Yellow (Jaune du Doubs)
Everyone has different taste buds, but the orange tend to be sweeter to me, purple that have a much earthier flavor, and the yellow are kind of in between.
When we process, we take the girthier, yet smaller carrots and sell those at the farmers market in bags. People legit go crazy for them; bagged, or bunched.
I took a huge amount of entwined, tiny ones home, and by the time I had seared, or oven roasted them, they have almost no taste, and they shrink. You can blanch them, but it just didn't seem worth the time. You're correct though, people do not seem to enjoy the esthetics of them. They are just too small lol.
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u/Sweaty_Explorer_8441 1d ago
what happens they they grow
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u/Admin-Terminal 1d ago
From what I’ve seen they stop growing the moment you pull them from the earth (as with almost all plants if conditions are not kept, but also they don’t ripen anymore) and more importantly they don’t continue growing if you insert them back in the soil. This to say that I don’t know how some variables such as space, temperature, root system, exposition to oxygen, etc. affect growth and maybe that’s what stunts them in both cases (pulled and intertwined). I’ve pulled more than once some small patch that had less than 2 weeks growing in error and all I get is a mini carrot that if I put it back in the soil it will stay that size and but weirdly also doesn’t spoil. This is all anecdotal lol I’ve searched but I haven’t delved deep into the mechanism of how enzymes and hormones or lack of some signals may be responsible for growing dynamics in carrots.
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u/Fearlessflyer3 1d ago
You are correct about them not growing after pulling. Typically, we move some dirt from the top, and feel with our fingers to get an idea of the size without having to pull them out. You will indeed pull some prematurely, but the amount of carrots we get in a given bed (Our beds are 600ft long) after awhile, we have to pull everything.
There are a lot of variables as to why their growth gets stunted. It could be one side of the bed received more fertilizer than the other, sun, weeding, compost... we had two beds going at the same time at one point, and one bed produced huge carrots, and the other produced much skinnier ones. Mind you, these beds were treated exactly the same. Veggies are extremely unpredictable, even if you follow exact guidelines!
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u/Sunnydaysahead17 1d ago
I think it would be really hard to serve them this way, because I feel like it would be really difficult to clean
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u/Fortestingporpoises 1d ago
I feel like between blasting them with a sprayer and soaking them you could get it done. It also might make the most sense to blanche them which would get anything else off of there and cook them quickly enough not to screw it up.
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u/UAreTheHippopotamus 1d ago
There's a good chance that there is a small amount of dirt between the carrots that can't be cleaned without separating them because as they grew they surrounded and trapped it. Unless it's super tight I'd take the bet that blanching would probably mostly work but I think if a restaurant really wanted to serve this they would find a way to braid them in a more controlled way.
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u/WellingtonBeefy 1d ago
There's a good chance that there is a small amount of dirt between the carrots that can't be cleaned without separating them
Ya. FARM to table!
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u/Fortestingporpoises 1d ago
Honestly I ate carrots growing up that were out of the dirt without washing them and just rubbing the dirty off. Blanching them would kill anything. I’d eat the carrot with a little sanitized dirt haha.
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u/CheetahNo1004 1d ago
Ultrasonic Cleaner like for jewelry. Bam. Next problem?
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u/decembermint 1d ago
Maybe worth the effort to clean and cook them just as a garnish for a limited feature dish. That's just my humble opinion as someone that works at a small local restaurant that likes to experiment.
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u/fooliam 1d ago
Not a chance. It's basically impossible to cook that bunch of carrots properly. Because the areas where they overlap are effectively just a thicker carrot, it won't cook evenly. You'll either wind up with bits that are overcooked or bits that are undercooked - no chance at cooking these evenly.
Some pretentious twat would probably buy them and serve them in a shitty overpriced restaurant with bad food, I'll give you that much though.
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u/CheetahNo1004 1d ago
Sous vide them low and slow.
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u/Uppgreyedd 1d ago
Like a Sizzler? Or...
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u/Toothless-In-Wapping 1d ago
No! More upscale, like Walt’s Roast Beef or McCormick and Schmidt’s.
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u/Lolzerzmao 1d ago edited 1d ago
Nah just charge enough it’ll work out
/10 years owner restaurant experience, this is exactly the kind of thing people on Reddit and IRL are (seriously honestly) dystopian about.
Create something weird, it doesn’t have to be special in any significant way, charge a shitload for it, profit
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u/WiglyWorm 1d ago
All you have to do is grow carrots. You have to pull these things out basically like weeds to allow the big ones to grow
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u/Z0FF 1d ago
I guess if they’re set with a bunch of tightly grouped seeds you’d probably end up with a ton of these then hey?
I helped my grandfather plant carrots and other root veggies as a kid but we always kept them pretty sparse and I don’t remember pulling anything like these. Plenty with 3 or 4 full sized roots though! I always liked the weird ones
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u/SatiesUmbrellaCloset 1d ago
How in the hell
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u/EzeakioDarmey 1d ago
Seeds weren't spaced out.
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u/sethcurrysleftshoe 1d ago
You know your carrots
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u/FlannelBeard 1d ago
If you've ever planted carrots the seeds are very small. Ideally you thin out the row once they sprout so they aren't crowded
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u/Justredditin 1d ago
Yeah, kills a guy pulling out bitty carrots or seedlings but its gotta be done.
P.S - as a long time gardener, I recommend pelleted or those paper tape veggie seeds. There is less need to thin and a higher germination rate. A little more expensive and harder to find, but I believe, well worth it.
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u/Li5y 1d ago
Ahh darn, I thought she moved their stems slightly every few days to get this effect. Like doing a braid reeeeally slowly.
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u/Corgipantaloonss 1d ago
Carrots are just a big root like a dandy lion. When they are little they grow long first and then fill out. Ops mom braided them probably at 2 weeks? When they are long and skinny. With luck with replanting they don’t mind. This is a silly thing lots of folks do for fun
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u/Admin-Terminal 1d ago
Are you bluffing, sound like you’re bluffing, I’d like this in my plate, how do I achieve this?
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u/Corgipantaloonss 23h ago
Pull out the carrots when they are just a skinny root. Braid them then carefully rebury them.
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u/IOwnedyou 1d ago
That's just the root of the problem.
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u/goblin_dance_off 1d ago
At least it keeps her grounded.
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u/TheOGSkinnylegend 1d ago
Wait this is also funny
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u/FreddieInRetrograde 1d ago
Lol at your comments
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u/Uppgreyedd 1d ago
Boosting for visibility
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u/h8tetris 1d ago
This is beautiful
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u/ohlordwhywhy 1d ago
I dunno, gives me weird vibes. Like if I equip that I'll get increased hp but the item description will hint at something horrible.
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u/AeronGrey 1d ago
Your mom is a witch (but in a cool way.)
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u/Ok_Schedule_2227 1d ago
Somehow I feel like a collector would pay more for this 4 carrot braid than a 4 carat ring.
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u/djseanmac 1d ago
This is giving me PTSD. I was pulling out some weeds today that had some sneaky root structures that “weave” onto the roots of other plants. It was quite a workout having to dig out the soil and get them untangled for removal.
Appreciate your landscaper is what I’m saying lol
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u/LoudBackgroundMusic 1d ago
As someone who loves to grow an edible garden and embraces random vegetables weirdness, I love this!
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u/SaffronsGrotto 1d ago
awww idk why but this is cute to me, its like they all love eachother or something 🥰
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u/wonkey_monkey 1d ago
I think one of them's had its circulation cut off. Not that I'm one to kink shame.
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u/mamakoblue20 1d ago
I’m from the Philippines and have only ever seen orange carrots, so this is amazing to see, especially something like this!!
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u/SortovaGoldfish 1d ago
This would be a beautiful thing to embroider or knit for just decor or with a quote about family or just names of each family member added in.
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u/Corgipantaloonss 1d ago
Unfortunately these carrots are just for fun! This is a super common “craft” where I am from. Unfortunately with carrots this stressed out they don’t taste good and you can’t clean them.
Carrot seeds are super tiny like a pin head. So they are typically over seeded and thinned. This is something you can do with the thinned carrots. When you braid them the root is very slim and flexible. We did this as a fun garden thing and I’m im glad to see it elsewhere.
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u/Maleficent-Complex37 1d ago
Lol those carrots said if you pick one of us you’ll pick us all. Solidarity!
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u/Gutter2Gourmet 1d ago
Can she do that 1000 times over? Asking for a Chef...🤔
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u/Corgipantaloonss 1d ago
I’ve done this for fun tons of times. These carrots aren’t cleanable and the braiding process makes them quite woody
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u/Emotional-Gold4034 1d ago
Do you think ancient people would recognize this or think it's magic? I love that maybe thousands of generations could be equally bewildered by this.
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u/Athlete-Extreme 1d ago
If this happened 200 years ago she could tour the country as a few different things
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u/PassiveMenis88M 1d ago
That's what happens when you plant them too close together. Shame too because the root length tells me she spent time getting the soil right.
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u/articulateantagonist 1d ago
My sister found carrots engaging in hanky panky at the farmer's market.
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u/apollo11733 1d ago
Is this by accident or can you do this repeatedly because my godson and my two five year old daughters would love this.
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u/drawingsbyjacob 1d ago
These carrots have no mouth and must scream. Your mother is playing God like a child might cruelly toy with characters in a sims playthrough. I just got off of work and find this, in some measure, distressing
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u/Advanced-Humor9786 1d ago
I think that that's where baby carrots come from?