In my post on making chicken broth in a slow cooker, I demonstrated how I peel carrots right over the slow cooker if I don’t have scraps.
A reader posted the following question:
I was somewhat taken aback about the carrot peelings – seems like they are so hard to get clean since they sit in the dirt – do you feel like you’re eating a little bit of dirt when you do that?
I responded in the comment section, but thought I would share how I clean carrots here as well. A few days ago I pull up some parsnips and since the method is the same, I snapped a picture.
When I bring carrots or parsnips in from the garden, I put them in a bowl of water. This does two things; it keeps the greens (both carrot and parsnip leaves are edible) from wilting until I can clean and store them and it loosens the dirt on the root.
Then I take a nail brush and scrub the roots:
I wouldn’t normally rest the root on the leaves, but it was hard to scrub and take pictures.
The nail brush removes enough dirt that I feel comfortable using the peelings. And in case you are wondering, parsnip peelings make a lovely addition to broth.
How do you wash your root vegetables?
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Candace says
I wish I had read this before last night. I was cleaning some incredibly dirty fresh parsnips that my landlord gave me and was wondering if the greens were edible. I knew that some greens and leaves are not. Parsnips are a new veggie for me. I never had them down south. I love the idea of using a nail brush for a veggie cleaner. I think it would work better than the "veggie brushes". Thanks for the tips!
Swathi says
I like the scrubbing idea. easy one.
Stacie says
Definitely a good idea! I have another question…is it really that horrible to eat a couple particles of dirt anyway? Hahaha! Thanks for posting.
Annie Jones says
I do mine exactly the same way, except I put them in a stoppered sink instead of a bowl. 🙂