Carrot experimentation thread...

This is continued to get the frazzle off of Jim's thread.

Everybody ready?

ok I am here now my plan is to use carrots that have over wintered since shoe is cutting his tops 1 inch long I will cut mine 1/2 inch unless there is something magic about 1 inch like more area for the root hairs to sprout from .Ernie

Actually, mine won't be one inch long, cus I ain't giving up that much eating, Ernie!.

Half inch will do just fine.

And for those of you in the dark about what the heck we're talking about: In another thread, http://davesgarden.com/t/413184/#new we started out talking about plant/veggie propagation. Then it eventually got to "will carrots reproduce another carrot if we save the top and root them"? So...here we go!

"The Great Carrot Top Will-It/Won't It Experiment of 2004"!

So far we've decided to cut the top off a carrot (can be store-bought) put it in a shallow pan of water on the kitchen counter (or elsewhere), when top growth begins then plant it out. Will it grow a new carrot? Will it bolt (go to seed)? Will it die, turn to mush, grow into a 'forked root'?

All experimenters welcome. And please feel free to ad lib in any form or fashion!

Digging carrots today from a raised bed I noticed a lack of root hairs in the first two inches. I think just for drill I shall slice and set a few without tops and do a few with the top cut in half.

Shoe put on your bib mashed with cheese ,butter, and sourcream mmmmmm goood lol

Obviously I found this place again after the great puter crash I am down to aol 6.0

Well, I went to the store and they wanted $2 for five little carrots about twice the size of a Kindergartener's fat pencil. HAH! Didn't fool me, even though they had all their ferny tops.

I found, on another shelf, 2- 5# bags for $4. The foliage was twisted off, probably in the field by the pickers and there was still some show of green there, so I cut the top about ½" long and placed 2 of them in a shallow bowl with about ¼" of water. We'll see what happens.

My carrots were forgotten for one day and the water dissipated. The poor widdle fings were so shriveled. I re-watered (is that a woid?) them and they seem to be re-juvenating themselves... although seed do dry up, don't they?

Anyhoo... they are okay, except one. They're growing their hair... GREEN not red (carrot top), and I think there is definite growth. I will wait and see if they put out root-hairs.

E_B



This message was edited Mar 13, 2004 3:11 PM

Bob, I just got some carrots the other day. Tonite I hope to make some miso soup (seaweed and/or cabbage with carrots!) and will save all the carrot tops!

This means the experiment now has TWO participants!

Any others coming in?

(Thanks for the update E_B!)

Sounded fun so I started two last week. Here they are:
(edited for spelling)

This message was edited Mar 13, 2004 5:23 PM

And now we have THREE! Good show kooger. Looks like a wiener to ME. They seem to be developing well.

That's NC, MD and IA, so far.

Shoe, what else goes in miso soup. What is it, an Asian thing?

3 of MY carrots sprang back from dry, the 4th, a smaller one, didn't make it. I hope I can put up with the slimy mess until they do something more.

So Bob has Washington been excluded lol

Ah! I LOVE miso soup! What kind of miso do you use, 'Shoe?

I don't ordinarily do anything that has a soybean-base UNLESS it has been femented. Miso, all forms, is aceptable!

No, it's still there, eweed! :o) I was trusting to Shoe's count. Bad, bad Shoe. LOL LOL LOL

Ah, miso soup. Is that the stuff the American GIs sing about in Korea about "And don't try feeding me any of that rotten cabbage 'cause I don't eat that ****!" ?

So... if these carrots get a bunch of "hair on top," what are the chances of growing "new" carrots from this mess?

Okay...I am still learning to count. Some days I'm better at it than other days!

E_B, miso soup is not what you are thinking of regarding 'rotten cabbage'...that is Kimchee, which is delish! (Overseas it is often buried in the ground to ferment and can stink right much, however here in USA it is slightly fermented in bottles. I've made it myself before but nowadays can buy it fairly cheap at the Oriental Supermarket.)

The way I first learned to make miso was with sliced carrots and wakame (dried seaweed). However, this past winter I even used fresh cabbage, carrots, and even thru some left-over butter beans in! Scrumptious!

darius, I found a brand called "Honzukuri" (Shinshu Shiro Miso) and it has no MSG. Plus, it more readily dissolved in the water/broth. (No more pre-mixing it in a separate cup over and over to get the paste to break down.)

Now, back to the carrots: Bob, I think the chances will be slim a new carrot will grow from our nubs but having never given it an honest try it will be fun to actually see what happens. Heck, for all we know it could grow a carrot off to the side, or maybe the top will bolt and we will at least get some carrot seed from them.

That's all, just rotten cabbage and carrots and/or seaweed? Not much protein in that! No meat? No chicken broth. No beef broth? Eeew!

As for the carrots... I think you're right. Bolting would be nice, too, but if they're F1 hybrids, I suppose we can forget it.

I have an old junk apartment-sized refrigerator I'm going to load with potting soil and cow poop (50/50) about 15" deep and grow some carrots in there How do carrots take to transplanting if I were to start them in one of those 500+ seed starting trays? How about leaf lettuce? How about spinach? I don't usually fool with those crops because theycan bebought so cheap, but the prices are hitting the roof, these days.

It is rumored that dog meat is added to the Korean verision which was enough to deter my appitite for it.

edited because I can't spell Ernie

This message was edited Mar 14, 2004 12:30 PM

You can't spell Ernie?

LOL

Had to change rumored now I spy verision version agggg lol can't type either good thing I can weed there is still hope slin but it's something. Ernie

Had to change rumored now I spy verision version agggg lol can't type either good thing I can weed there is still hope slim but it's something. Ernie

Bob, the "rotten cabbage", as you call it, was in reference to another dish (read back up; "kimchee").

The miso soup is delish and is a very healthy food...soy bean, a legume, has protein; the carrots offer vitamin D and E; the wakame offers minerals as well as vitamin B12. (Altho I certainly eat my share of meats and love a good broth this soup is wonderfully delicious and wholesome. It's also a great accompaniment to many other side-dishes! Yummy!)

Ernie, in real kimchee there is no meat whatsoever, no need to worry about dog meat being in there! Heheh...I once ran some hunters off my property that were running their dogs here. They asked me if I minded them doing so and I said in my best hillbilly voice, "NO! We don't mind! Why, me and my wife...we'uns eat dawg!" and then I drove up to the house. Hehehe, them two guys were calling them dogs in before I even got outta the truck! :>)

Since I have carrots growing from last year or maybe holding over is a bettere description I think I will just cut the top off a few and shove them in some soil.

Shoe sure glad my Goldens are safe from the cabbage stew. Shame on you for insinuating you may eat their dogs. Ernie

Okay. I regress. Getting brain tangles and mixing recipes, here! Aaaargh. Ain't CRS sad?! LOL

I bought one of the JuiceMan juicers and BreadMan breadmaker , when Jay had that deal on and that's the way I prefer my carrots. JUICED. You talk about a good drink. 3 carrots, a tomato, sprig of parsley, ½ apple... then (except for the apple and seed) the pulp can be used in soup.

Man, I love that juicer.

I've also done carrots, cabbage and apple in it. But... I need to add about 2 pinches of salt in 16 ounces. My mouth's already watering, and at 0430, already!

E_B

BEST PLACE TO BUY SEAWEED?? Can you get it fresh or do you need to re-hydrate it? I bet that would be good, juiced with carrots and cabbage and apple.

P.S: Haven't tried carrot bread, yet. Love, LOVE, carrot cake, though!!!

This message was edited Mar 15, 2004 4:43 AM

Hey folks...guess what!

Now, I ain't saying this is a for-sure result of a carrot top re-growing a new carrot BUT I do remember starting one last year on the kitchen counter AND am wondering if I went ahead an planted it in my No-Work garden. (My mind needs notes to jog its cogwheels sometimes.)

While pulling up a few weeds (getting ready to set out some brassica) I found a few carrots still growing. Look what I pulled up...could it have been stunted do to hard clay soil? Or could this have been a carrot top I stuck in the ground? (By the way, it was delish, not stringy, and I even saved the top of this one, too!)

You know, Shoe, by the "looks" of that carrot, It may have been a "top" at one time. I've been following this thread. I'm not a participant at this point, but I have found this thread very interesting - and look forward to seeing any results (although I think you just showed us that it is possible).

Ok carrottieers I cut five more off and put in potting soil not more than 16th of an inch of the carrot left.

kooger you didn't but any of that finishing lotion in yours did you.

Shoe the Eagle landed today thanks kinda wonder about that return address though.

Bob I find it eaiser to just get vodka made from juice of the humble potatoe lol

Darius you have seen my addled attempts to spell and run this voo do machine no secret.

Ernie

This message was edited Mar 15, 2004 10:22 PM

what kind of finishing lotion might that be?

The magic stuff that makes carrots grow so fast that the earth around them smokes caused by the heat of the expanding dirt as it gives way to 10 pound carrots lol Ernie

Shoe,

The little carrot looks GREAT but I've seen better-looking hands on a clock! LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

That's definitely a little carrot growing off a top you planted off one of the root hairs, I'd bet the farm on it. Good show, old boy! Thanks for the confidence booster!

As an aside, I'd guess that if you'd planted that into more friable tilth, you'd've gotten a lot larger plant. That crack suggests it had nowhere to grow.

E_B

Forgot to mention, mine have "hair" about an inch long, now.

This message was edited Mar 16, 2004 8:15 AM

Ernie, I wondered whose package that return address label came off ! (I found it stuck to the floor of the truck!)

Bob...next time I'll scrub my hands up reall good! Might even put on some sort of lotion! Hehehe.

I think I'll set my carrot tops into a special carrot bed this time; can make it more friable and deeper that way.

Looks hopeful tho, eh? Just think we can save the tops each time and grow a peck of carrots (eventually) from one carrot!

Boiiiiinnnnnnnngggggggggg!!

It just struck me like a sledgehammer! Do you think that's maybe the way they grow those little gourmet carrots that cost so much in the store? It looks just like one.

I still prefer the BIG ones at 2 - 5# bags for $4.00, though. I LOVE carrots. BTW, bought some carots and cabbage last night. Neither BJ's nor SFW had seaweed (wakame). I don't know of any Asian markets close to us, I'll have to search the yellow pages. Maybe Food Lion has it.

Just out of curiousity, will homemade sauerkraut suffice for "fermented" (rotten) cabbage for the Kimshee? We make ours right in the jars.

You know those asians, always coming up with something new to save and make money. I think I remember they were the ones who started with the little carrots. (???)

Definitely, a little Cornhuskers' and soap and water would be a large improvement. Hahahahaaaaa!

Naaaaasty and raining and cold, here but the rest of the week is supposed to be pretty, 50° near 60° a couple or more days. Come on Spring. Saturday, only 4 more days!

How do you do italics and bold fonts on here, someone?

E_B, you make find seaweed sometimes listed as Kombu also. As for the yellow pages, also look for Oriental supermkts, not necessarily Asian supermkts. Might be listed there.

NO...sauerkraut will not suffice for kimchee. However, you can make your own, fresh. Should you decide to let it ferment just leave it out of the fridge.

Here goes…
One michili cabbage…good sized.
Good amount of salt, ginger root, fresh garlic, coarse ground red pepper, toasted sesame oil, brown sugar, one bunch of green onions.

Clean cabbage, cut into 2’ squares. “Layer” in deep pot…layer of cabbage, layer of salt, layer of cabbage, layer of salt, over and over. Let it sit nearly an hr, then rinse thoroughly and set aside.

Peel ginger root (about a 2” piece), chop fine, fine, fine. Boil w/2 cups H20 and half cup of brown sugar. (Note. Two cups of water is not enuff for large heads of cabbage, increase to 3 cups, but don’t increase brown sugar.) This must be brown and syrupy-may take 30-60 minutes.

Chop garlic fine (3 big cloves to start, I prefer 5 cloves myself). Chop onions. (and by the way, I use bunch onion AND bulb onions, sliced.)
Mix pepper (I use a quarter cup of pepper flakes minimum), garlic, onions, sesame oil w/ginger syrup. Juggle to taste.

Add cabbage to above solution mix well and put in jars (no, you don’t need to process this). The liquid should cover the cabbage in the jars.

Some people let Kimchee age one full day before jarring. Then refrigerate. I’ve let it age on the counter for a couple days. The flavor improves.

Will keep in the fridge a long time! That’s why I make several jars at a time.

This dish is spicey and a great side dish AND healthy for you. The lacto bacteria in fermented cabbage is a great health aid.

And by the way, you can do a search for KimChee and come up with a ga-zillion recipes from around the world. This one here is basically Korean based.

As for bold and italic fonts, beat me! I grow things, cook them and eat them! (And type rather well also!) Just am not up on HTML and such. To me those letters mean:
Hoe,
Till,
Mulch, and
Let's eat! (Not necessarily in that order!)

I printed the recipe out. Thanks a lot. I probably will forego the sugar and ginger, as I can't stand either one, at least not in my veggies.

How much extra dihydrogen monoxide should I use per pound of cabbage?

This message was edited Mar 16, 2004 3:44 PM

I have been following along with this zany thread, and thanks for the kimchee recipe. I have done the sauerkraut thing before, buat this looks like more fun. Thanks!

Peter

Bob...I'd use a tad bit of brown sugar, not enuff to make it sweet sweet (it's not a sweet dish unless you use too much), some recipes don't use any at all tho and it's good. (When I buy the store-bought kind it only lists cabbage, red pepper, green onions/scallions, "seasonings" and ginger.)

I'd use 3 cups dihydrogen monoxide for a good-size head of cabbage...haven't ever measured it out per pound of cabbage. It's just a looksie kinda thang!. :>)

Wish I could send you some real stuff made by our local Oriental folks so you could really get a yen for it. (No pun intended!)

Peter, let us know how yours comes out if you try the recipe.

to make bold you have to type these with NO spaces
< b >
tells the computer to start bold type

< / b > tells it to stop bold

Same thing with Italics, only you use an i

To underline use a u

You can put as many words as you want in bold or Italics. Just remember to take the spaces out of your < b > if the spaces are in there it won't work.

Used to be able to change the font color, but I don't think we can do that anymore.

testing

wow...it worked. (Don't worry folks, I will never use it, or use it sparingly.)


This message was edited Mar 16, 2004 10:36 PM

testing

This message was edited Mar 16, 2004 7:44 PM

EB I also cut some tip roots off and put them in the water bath and cutsome lenghtwise small sections containg roor hair so we will see. I think I see superglue traces on Shoes discovery.

Shoe I noticed right off that the return addy was not from you but not from a stranger either. The address is one from a super nice lady. Now if I was only smart enought to use this thing lol. Ernie

Melissa,

Thanks, it really does work. I was trying to use the one that phpBB uses and they wouldn't work. I think the reason we probably can't use the one for colors anymore is because the administration is keeping them for their stuff.

Shoe, couldn't get ya with the semantics, eh? Do you know that there was a bunch of environmental idiots in CA (who didn't know that, eh?) that tried to ban dihydrogen monoxide as a dangerous additive? No kidding! The official explanation is that it was "done by over-zealous tyros." Now how's THAT for a pass-the-buck sorta thing?

A tad of BSug would be okay. No ginger for me, though, but the red pepper would be alright, in moderation. I do have my Zantac75, y'know! :o)

(OK Melissa, how do we do quotes? He said, she said?)

Eweed wrote:

"EB I also cut some tip roots off and put them in the water bath and cutsome lenghtwise small sections containg roor hair so we will see. I think I see superglue traces on Shoes discovery.

I missed that super glue. Dang, he had me fooled. "Well, if it sells newspapers....." LOL

My carrot 'hairs' (ferns) are about 2½" into the air. I have a veritable jungle on these 3 little islands. Don't know how to tell when they bolt, as I have never saved carrot seed, before. I DO know you needs a mag glass to see em.

My large, red bellpepper seed have been sitting in the dining room drying, since Friday. How long do I need to dry them before I can test/plant them? Can I hurry them along by putting them in the oven on "lowest" for a time? I don't know where the food-dryer is. It's still a victim of move-packing.

After I wash the "anti-sprout" stuff off the mater seed, how long do I have to dry them. It's darned cheaper to save them than it is to buy them, nowadays, especially the Early Girl, etc.

(Ernie, You should mail her something in that pkg! Now that would be a "full circle"!)

Ain't no super glue here folks...too dangerous for me to figger out how to use. Tried it once, glued my fingers together. Had to get someone else to pick my nose for me. Never again!

I'd go ahead and start some of your pepper seed, Bob. Some will germ right away. If not, you'll still have some more to start later.

As for the mater seeds, did you not ferment them first? That would be the way to go with those and you'd be insured of having viable seed to work with.