I forgot to mulch the carrots :(

I'm such a newbie... I left the carrots in the bed, but didn't mulch it with anything! I went out today to see if I could get one or two for vegetable soup and their frozen in. I really hope they aren't ruined. We got a few of them so it's not a loss either way, but my son gets so excited every time we pull a carrot from that bed it would be a shame if we lost some of them.

Here's the biggest one we've pulled out of there so far (taken December 5th)...

Oh dear! This is the tool I would use, a maddox.

Trouble is, it's a small bed, only about 2x2 and very deep. I don't know why I didn't think to protect it! I'm tempted to put down a tarp and pull the frame off, since it's just sitting on the ground and not secured, other than being frozen. Will the carrots get damaged if I leave them in there?

I don't mulch my carrots, and usually I win! They will survive a few short term freezes. I've even tried heating a trowel with a propane torch trying to dig some up. Last year was odd for us; we had more freeze cycles than usual, and they were longer and colder than usual. The carrots got soft. They weren't good for eating raw, but we used them in soups and stews. I usually have some left in the ground when they start growing again in spring. The flavor changes, and I end up giving them to the dogs.

(I don't mulch because my carrots are in TTs. No use protecting the top if the bottom is going to freeze!)

have you tried a shovel? they may just be in there for the duration

I thought only horse people knew dogs like carrots!

Martha my dog will take a carrot any day but then again she steals bread and candy and hides it in her crate LOL

My dog *loves* his carrot treats -- he won't eat the stem end, so I cut that off, then he trots outside to devour his treasure. Go figure...but then the stalks of broccoli and cauliflower never make it to the compost bin, because those are treats, too.

I second boffer -- freezing will make them soft, but you can still use them in soups and casseroles.

boffer wrote: I've even tried heating a trowel with a propane torch trying to dig some up.

This is what made me smile this morning

It's supposed to warm up this weekend so I'm hoping that I can get them out of the ground then

Wow, it's supposed to be 55 for New Year's Day!!! *rustles up some mustard and radish seed*

My husband disappeared and I tracked him down, running the hose on the frozen block that was the carrot bed. Here's the aftermath...



After cleaning them up outside...



We were left with these!



I can't thank Josh and Selandra enough! Josh gave my son the seeds for the orange carrots, and Selandra traded me for the white and red ones. I didn't think we grew very many carrots, but I had already pulled three huge carrots from this bed! I'm definitely going to replant that bed with carrots next year.

While we were out there my husband noticed the huge parsley plants and pulled one up. I can't believe how big the root got! This was one of the plants that came up from seed that's at least four years old.



Now to find some awesome carrot recipes... if I had my pressure canner, I would can them, but I haven't made that purchase yet.

Fabulous!

Gorgeous, miinva! So pretty. Aside from raw or sauteed with butter, my favorite way to eat carrots is in split pea soup.

They aren't even mushy! A couple of them are two inches in diameter and they're delicious, which is a wonderful surprise. I grew them as a treat for my son because he thought they sounded cool because they grow so big, so he was pleasantly surprised when I cut them up and they taste good! I'm thinking of steaming the smaller ones with the red and white ones for dinner tonight