Are you guilty of charge like many others, of throwing those beautiful root veg tops away? Come one, you can share it here. We’re in a safe space. I have good news for you: no need to do so! Carrot tops can be such a fragrant and flavorful addition to a green smoothie. You can taste each individual aroma in this mix. And hey, it’s good for you! And cooling! Like a mountain breeze. That’s where i’m heading as well! Yay!
Now some info about carrot tops. I’ve included them in my smoothies ever since I started blending, but i must say, unless you have a powerful blender, you’ll have some bits left in it and it’s not the nicest sensation – in no way i want to put you off green smoothies! So, if you see they’re not blending properly, add another creamy fruit, or blend the greens first with some water, adding later the rest of ingredients.
I’ve researched a bit about whether the carrot tops are edible or not. I cam across a few sources, and while there is no evidence of damage, due to the high content of alkaloids you should always rotate them. That doesn’t mean you can’t try it every now and then you get a bunch of carrots with their greens on top. Because they see most of the sun, they are concentrated in chlorophyll, which is needed for purifying the blood and a variety of vitamins and minerals. Although I couldn’t find a lab nutritional analysis of the carrot greens I came across the Carrot Museum (!? i know) and found that carrots tops are 6 times higher in Vitamin C than lemons, they contain a notable source of Potassium and Calcium, as well as Vitamin K, which the roots don’t have.
Try with a small amount in a smoothie and see how you like it. I love it and so far I haven’t had a reaction to them. You should however ROTATE your greens. That’s why it’s great that you have so many options available to change in between: have spinach one day, kale another one, radish tops the next day, carrot greens after, if you can find some wild greens is great and then you go back to spinach, etc.
Easy peasy! Now here’s the recipe. As I said, it tastes amazing. Confirmed by friends. Although they are always nice, so you never know. You just gotta try for yourself.
Ingredients:
1 bunch carrot tops
2 nectarines
1 banana
1/2 cucumber
How to:
Add the greens first with a cup of water into the blender and mix them up. Add the rest of fruit and cucumber and top up with water if necessary. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!
P.S. Use some ice or a frozen banana for THE ultimate cooling smoothie!
Much love! Denisa xxx
