Why do carrots taste bitter or tasteless?

[georgevan]

I remember eating carrots some years back and they always were nice and tasty with a hint of sweetness. But now and for a long time carrots are tasteless with a hint of bitterness. I don't believe it is my taste buds because other foods still taste good. I wonder if other people have experienced the same thing.

[dragnlaw]

Carrots, when young and fresh picked have a sweetness. Not even necessary to peel, just scrub.

Older carrots and super large have lost that sweetness and do need to be peeled.

[blissful]

They get dry, they've been stored a long time. Here carrots are harvested in august september. It's been 4 or 5 months of storage. Optimally, they need to stay in moist sand at a cool temperature.


Celery is the same. It is sweet and enjoyable to eat when it is fresh. After it's been stored a long time, it gets bitter.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by dragnlaw

Carrots, when young and fresh picked have a sweetness. Not even necessary to peel, just scrub.

Older carrots and super large have lost that sweetness and do need to be peeled.

Back in the 1970s, I had a Braun juicer. We used it mostly for carrot juice. We actually found that the great big carrots were the sweet ones. The small ones were more tender, but not nearly as sweet.

I think blissful is right, that it's a question of storage.

[Andy M.]

When we used to vacation at our timeshare in Aruba we bought the most amazing sweet carrots at the supermarket. Coincidentally, they were the biggest carrots I’ve ever seen.

[georgevan]

Maybe fresh carrots from a farmers market would be better

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by georgevan

Maybe fresh carrots from a farmers market would be better

YUP.

[dcSaute]

people who garden have many things they like.

everyone speaks of garden ripened tomatoes, and it's true....

but freshly dug new (and other) potatoes are like candy,

fresh dug carrots are superb, and

fresh off the plant lima beans are spectacular.

since the covid thing I have noticed the quality of fresh vegetables in supermarkets has tanked. I imagine the growers are having trouble getting workers who know what they are doing . . . in terms of cultivation, picking and packing.

late winter onions have been a problem for 20 years in our supermarket. apparently they are not dried in the field properly, then not stored properly - and wind up on the shelf half rotten. Giant fired all/most of its full time employees - and the gum popping phone-in-ear teenagers don't know squat.
across the road Weis had far superior vegetables, and two very knowledgeable and "expert" produce people - both 'older' - who either perished or decided to avoid the exposure. so now Giant is garbage and Weis is garbage.

[GinnyPNW]

Originally Posted by georgevan

I remember eating carrots some years back and they always were nice and tasty with a hint of sweetness. But now and for a long time carrots are tasteless with a hint of bitterness. I don't believe it is my taste buds because other foods still taste good. I wonder if other people have experienced the same thing.

Okay...I gotta ask: Are you eating them raw, or cooking them? If you are cooking them, how? Have you tried roasting them? That tends to bring out the natural sugars and adding a touch of honey (with a little EVO, salt, pepper, spices and a touch of balsamic vinegar)...yummy!

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by georgevan

Maybe fresh carrots from a farmers market would be better

Or grow them yourself. Our garden carrots taste like delicious sweet carrots

[Linda0818]

Originally Posted by jennyema

Or grow them yourself. Our garden carrots taste like delicious sweet carrots

Can you grown carrots in a large container? Like a large barrel container? Or do they need a ton of depth for their roots?

[pepperhead212]

Linda There are some stubby carrot varieties for planting in rocky areas, or others that don't have smooth soil deep enough for regular carrots, or shallower pots. I got a new (to me) variety this year - Shin Kuroda - that is supposed to be only 5", and very heat resistant, supposedly, which is what caught my eye! They say it is also supposed to be very sweet, but only time will tell. These could be grown in a large windowsill type box, at least 8" deep.
https://www.botanicalinterests.com/p...a-Carrot-Seeds

[georgevan]

I am eating them raw. But if is the convenience of just being able to crab something and eat it without messing with cooking or roasting. Maybe I need a dip.

[blissful]

I grew some Uzbec gold carrots and some orange carrots.
Just out of the garden the Uzbec golds were less 'carroty' tasting. Sweeter, blander.
They grow stubby. We grow them every year now because we like them. Even under the green part on top, they are sweet and not bitter. Diced up they also add a variety of color which is an added plus.

The seeds are available from rareseeds.com (baker's creek).

[Cooking Goddess]

Originally Posted by Linda0818

Can you grown carrots in a large container? Like a large barrel container? Or do they need a ton of depth for their roots?

When I was a kid, Mom grew round carrots a couple of times. I remember them as sweet and flavorful, but I'm going back almost six decades for that memory, so I could be wrong. I checked Google. There are several options for round carrots. You could probably grow them in six inches of soil easily.

[dragnlaw]

georgevan, how are you storing them?

I suggest, wash/scrub, peel if older, cut into snack sizes, store in zip lock or snap lock containers.

[Linda0818]

Originally Posted by pepperhead212

Linda There are some stubby carrot varieties for planting in rocky areas, or others that don't have smooth soil deep enough for regular carrots, or shallower pots. I got a new (to me) variety this year - Shin Kuroda - that is supposed to be only 5", and very heat resistant, supposedly, which is what caught my eye! They say it is also supposed to be very sweet, but only time will tell. These could be grown in a large windowsill type box, at least 8" deep.
https://www.botanicalinterests.com/p...a-Carrot-Seeds

Excellent information, thank you. These little carrots received nice reviews. I may just try them!