‘Baby’ carrots, ‘Tater Tots’ vs. ‘real’ vegetables

Grand Island Dispatch, July 6, 2007

It’s a lucky day tomorrow. The only luckier day, in my memory, was probably July 7, 1977.

But who needs luck, anyway. I rely on good cookbooks and a little good sense.

And good sense tells me that not all of the names given to our foods are exactly for real.

Take “baby” carrots, for instance. What is a baby carrot? I can’t remember any stall in the North Tonawanda or Niagara Falls farmers’ markets selling little, sweet, slender carrots. I do remember growing carrots and, in thinning them in a row where they were too close together, I dipped them in a bucket of water and ate as many as I dared – maybe a few that weren’t necessarily too close together. They were so very good. So, what, exactly is a baby carrot? I have a suspicion. I think it is a carrot that has grown too big, put in a device similar to a pencil sharpener and shaved to exactly the same size as every other carrot processed that day and that way. I do hope that in some processing plant, they use all the golden shavings to make carrot cake.

Instead of buying baby carrots, why don’t you just pick out a package of slender, more-to-the-package carrots? Scrub them or peel them and cut them. Either ice them in a glass of lightly salted ice water or hand them out as the youngsters grab them. That is one healthy snack.

If you get baby carrots frozen and ready to cook, be aware that because they aren’t baby vegetables, the center core will not be tender when the fleshy outside is cooked. It is one big turnoff to bite into one.

Another baby that isn’t as young as the label may indicate is a baby scallop. I truly do not know what they are. I think a “baby” scallop is carved out of a grown-up scallop piece masquerading as a youngster. Tell me, if you know.

And lastly, how about potato forms. A potato diminutive, or tot – what is it?

Like its cousin, the potato stick or plank, it is shredded and seasoned, cooked in oil and salted to today’s sense of taste.

The wonderful, versatile potato may soon be the taste of a forgotten time. Bake them, mash them or hash them, they are a great vegetable.

Did you give your baby some pureed vegetables when he or she was the right age? If that child was offered vegetables, and the vegetables did not cause an allergic reaction, why isn’t that child still eating vegetables?

You say that your child doesn’t like vegetables? Think about it. I think that if a youngster doesn’t eat vegetables, it is because he or she has forgotten how great they taste.

I cook carrots a lot. They are probably the least expensive vegetable in the produce department. Look at that splendid color, that easy-to-prepare multipurpose vegetable.

Here are several ways to prepare them.

Glazed Carrots

1 pound medium carrots
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Scrub carrots or wash and peel them. Take ends off. Cut each carrot in half. If you stand carrot on end and cut down, it is a bit safer than trying to cut a rolling carrot.

Cook in a small amount of water in a medium, covered saucepan for 10 to 12 minutes. Drain.

In a medium skillet, melt butter, add brown sugar and, over a medium heat, add seasonings. Cook, stirring frequently, until carrots are thoroughly glazed – about two or three minutes. Serves four to six.

Presto, Change-o! Carrots become a slightly caramel-flavored candy stick.

Three-colored (Italian) Vegetable Medley

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced to half-inch rounds
6 cauliflower florets (medium-sized)
One-half head of broccoli, cut into medium-sized pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice concentrate
1 to 2 tablespoons Romano or Parmesan (grated) cheese
Salt and pepper to taste (Easy on the salt, because lemon reduces the need for it.)

Cook the carrots and the cauliflower for eight minutes in a medium saucepan, using about one-half to one cup of water.

Add broccoli pieces, bringing vegetables back to a boil.

Cook an additional three to four minutes.

Drain, then add olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese. Serves four to six.

Mexican Vegetable Medley

3 ears of corn, cut off the cob, or one 16-ounce can of whole kernel corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 or 3 small zucchini, washed and cut into slices
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
One-quarter teaspoon cumin
One-quarter teaspoon pepper

Sauté onion and garlic in margarine, using a 10-inch skillet. Add corn and cook about five minutes, if using fresh corn. Or drain can and add to onion and garlic, heating through.

Stir in remaining ingredients, heating to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for another 10 minutes, covered.

Serves six.

I caught a few minutes of a TV program aimed at youngsters who are overweight. One young man was asked, “When did you last eat a baby carrot?” his answer? “Never.”

I really can’t believe that a parent can’t fix vegetables that entice a kid into eating a healthy diet.

Just don’t hand them baby carrots. Make them real carrots.