Every other Sunday morning, we have an organic market in San Juan… it’s at Placita de Roosevelt in Hato Rey. Two Sundays ago I went for the first time. I’ve never been there before because I always remember too late or I am usually at the yoga center on Sunday mornings. I decided that after our 4th of July retreat I should go and buy organic fruits and veggies to start my eating rituals again. So off to the organic market we went…
I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting more stands with more variety of goods. Maybe it was because of the long weekend… and organic farmers need their long weekend vacations too, who knows?! But I was also pleasantly surprised by some of the things I saw, among them these beautiful red carrots. These are very unusual, at least for regular Puerto Rican grocery shoppers.
I decided to buy a bunch and experiment… this was the result.
ROASTED RED CARROTS
2 red carrots, scrubbed well and cut into large chunks Olive oil Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- Pre-heat oven to 400° F.
- Place carrot pieces in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Roast in oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the carrots are crispy and caramelized.
Serve them as a side dish with roasted potatoes mixed in as well. Delicious.
Something curious was that when I peeled the carrots (I did because they were soooooo dirty with mud) I noticed they are orange inside. Not exactly the same as regular carrots, because they have reddish speckles… but orange inside. I thought they would be red, like a beet, inside.
KarmaFree Cooking 
I’ve never seen these anywhere. (I live in Florida.) They sound delicious.
I’m guessing that the reason for the lack of local produce is the time of year there? We don’t have a lot of local stuff available right now either, other than maybe tomatoes, peppers, and melons.
I’ve decided to buy some earth boxes and grow some of my own vegatables out on my lanai. It’s a perfect filtered-sun situation. In both our locations, we could grow a lot of things almost year round.
I am enjoying your blog so much.
I have had some red carrots come up in my garden. Very tasty and have a radish type heat. Roasted in a cast iron pan with honey , salt and pepper prodused a very nice flavor. Where did they come from?
Wish I could post a picture, red on the outside , orange layer, followed by a yellow core. Where can I get seeds?
This crop came from a cheap pack of Danvers Half longs.
KFC – I do not know where they come from… I bought mine once only at our local organic farmer’s market. I enjoyed them very much.