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    Home » Wild Herbs and Spices

    Carrots Glazed in Carrot Juice

    Published: Aug 12, 2017 Modified: Jan 2, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Tender carrots cooked and glazed in carrot juice is one of the most popular side dishes I've ever put on a menu. It's easy to make at home, and cheap.

    Most people know glazed carrots with orange juice, but the flavor the carrot juice is much better and doesn't turn bitter. The bright orange glaze will blow people away, without adding sugar.

    Heirloom Carrots Cooked in Carrot Juice, With Wild Carrot Flowers_-4
    You'll get the best flavor from using both the flowers and the seeds of the wild carrot. The leaves are pretty, but they don't taste like much.

    It's one of my favorite preparations for the ubiquitous orange root. I liked it so much I'm putting it on the menu this week at the restaurant while the flowers are at their peak.

    wild carrot flowers daucus carota
    Wild carrot seed head/Daucus carota a.k.a. Queen Anne's Lace. Flowers in the background. They're easy to identify by the roadside, but I like to pick them for eating from wooded areas or forest edges.

    It's a study in a vegetable, and a lesson in layering flavors. Of course, you won't want to use the same method with just any vegetable but you can apply the same technique to a couple of different things, at the top of the list is beets.

    heirloom carrots and carrot flowers
    Using the carrot flowers and seeds with carrots is a natural pairing. Red and orange carrots, flowers (above) tell-tale wild carrot seed head (below)

    This is one of the best wild carrot recipes I know. But even if you don't pick carrot flowers, bookmark the recipe and try it out sometime.

    You'll be amazed at how much concentrated carrot flavor there is, and it'll be fun to bring out the next time your craving some glazed carrots. When you throw the carrot seeds into the mix, it's like tasting the a carrot's soul.

    Adding Fresh Herbs

    If you don't have access to carrot seeds, consider adding chopped fresh tarragon, parsley, chives, or a combination at the end. The herbs bring it to another level.

    Wild carrot seeds are an abortifacient

    This is a well known side effect of eating large amounts of wild carrot seeds and other plants like angelica. If you're trying to get pregnant, maybe don't eat handfuls of them. It's fine to eat them in small amounts as pictured.

    Serving

    This is the perfect dish to go with chicken, pork or fish. If you like to make people laugh, you can also serve it with rabbit, especially a stuffed rabbit saddle.

    Heirloom Carrots Cooked in Carrot Juice, With Wild Carrot Flowers
    Heirloom Carrots Cooked in Carrot Juice, With Wild Carrot Flowers
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Carrots Glazed in Carrot Juice

    Make sure to read the label of the carrot juice you by, there are a lot of blends and funky stuff in some of them. You want pure carrot juice, not carrot-orange, carrot-apple, etc.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Carrot Flowers, Carrot Juice, Wild Carrot
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 300kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 small sauce pan

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups carrot juice
    • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter *see note
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Wild carrot seeds optional, you can substitute a teaspoon of chopped fresh tarragon.
    • 4 cups carrots sliced medium-thick, about ¼-1/2 inch
    • Dash of fresh lemon juice
    • fresh grated orange zest to taste

    Instructions

    • Put the carrots in a wide pan with a fingers width of water and a good pinch of salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, covered, then cook until the carrots are just tender. Discard the water, then add the carrot juice and turn the heat up to high, rapidly reducing the sauce.
    • Add the butter to the pan and stir, swirling the pan to emulsify the butter and make a thick glaze, season with the dash of lemon juice. Season the carrots to taste with salt, and a scrape or two of orange zest to taste. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the carrot flowers and seeds if using and serve immediately.

    Notes

    Get the right juice 

    Make sure to read the label of the carrot juice you buy, there are a lot of blends and funky stuff in some of them. You want pure carrot juice, not carrot-orange, carrot-apple, etc.

    Use the right fat 

    Some recipes will call for olive oil but I don't recommend this. Butter is the only thing that will reduce to a creamy, thick glaze without adding sugar. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4oz | Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 2000IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 2mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dan F

      August 26, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      Wow!! Why aren't wild carrot seeds considered a spice? I just stopped along the roadside while on a drive around Lake Pepin and spotted some wild carrot blossoms that had gone to seed. Put one in my mouth and bit down... OMG! Not like a carrot at all, though. Reminds me more of rosemary, or even spruce tree gum. Very powerful, but delicious!

      Reply
    2. Dan F

      August 26, 2017 at 6:32 pm

      I should add that cooking carrots in their juice had become a favorite, too. The reduced carrot juice makes an excellent sauce, as well. Plus, I can see in the dark reeealy reeeeealy well now!

      Reply
    3. Ron

      August 29, 2017 at 2:40 pm

      It should be noted that people should not forage for wild carrots unless they know what they are looking for. Poison hemlock looks very similar and is no bueno.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        September 02, 2017 at 10:43 am

        You're absolutely right!

        Reply
    4. Jacqui

      August 02, 2019 at 4:05 am

      Just to add an additional "warning" (I put it on the instagram post of the wild carrot flowers too), (Wild) Carrot seed is a powerful emmenagogue. "Witches" have been using this to induce early term abortions forever, and people still use it today. And it works. Of course many of the Apiaceae (hogweed, parsley, parsnip, angelica, and other plants, like juniper, some mints like pennyroyal etc etc) have similar effects but for carrot even a quite small amount is an effective dose. If this interests you, a great reference is the book "Eve's Herbs" by John Riddle.
      One of my friends recently proposed the experiment to his female colleagues when he found carrot sprouts at his local market. All the women who ate what would be considered a normal serving of sprouts was menstruating within two days. So be careful to whom you offer a dish spiced with carrot seeds...
      I decided not to make carrot syrups for the restaurant I supply for just that reason because menu warnings can be off-putting.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        August 10, 2019 at 12:20 pm

        Thanks Jacqui, that's great advice. I know a number of chefs who do cook with these, and Sean Brock's book "Heritage" is where I first thought of cooking with them. He makes bitters though. An infusion, further diluted with liquid, and not containing the seeds themselves as I do here is obviously different animal, and should be a much lower dose. Really interesting about the carrot sprout experiment, I'm assuming they contain the seeds in the sprouts, per your typical bean sprouts? Can't ever say I've seen carrot sprouts at a market like that, but I'd definitely try.

        Reply
        • Jacqui

          August 10, 2019 at 1:38 pm

          yup, sprouted seeds, like alfalfa sprouts. A couple of tablespoons was enough.I have also never seen carrot sprouts, but apparently the Montpellier (France) market has/had a very creative sprout stand.
          I made braised carrots with wild carrot seeds and flowers the other day, but i checked that none of the women present was trying to be pregnant...

          Reply
    5. Jacqui

      August 27, 2019 at 10:02 am

      And to add to this. In the extended quest for spice cake that a locavore would eat, last week during our holidays in northern Denmark I made a carrot cake spiced with carrot seeds, spruce syrup and sweet gale cones. Not bad at all. I brought home a handful of sweet gale cones that I popped in the freezer for later.

      Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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