PREFERENCES

Slow uses cookies to enhance the quality of our website. You can control how cookies and similar technologies are used on this website by making a selection below.

Essential

These cookies are necessary for the basic functions and experience of the website. The videos on this website are hosted by Vimeo and track data analytics but are needed to offer visitors the experience of our content as its intended. If you prefer not to be tracked by Vimeo, we recommend leaving the website.

Statistics and Tracking

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics server that uses the advertising and analytics cookies to collect anonymous information and analyze our website with regards to user behavior.

Carrot

“As a farmer, there’s your tried and true varieties, where you know the flavor is good. But then I like to switch it up and experiment with different varieties that maybe are new on the scene or I've heard a friend use,” said Andy, who, as the head farmer, plans the crops for the coming seasons, pouring excitedly over the seed catalogs that arrive in November.

“We have yellow, purple, orange carrots, which is really nice—so colorful,“ said farmer Oscar de la Fuente of La Granja’s varied crop of the root vegetable, which is grown together with beets, according to the wisdom of companion planting.

Chef Eduardo Fiaschi is a fermentation specialist.

Though carrots are famous for their crunchy sweetness and packed punch of vitamins and minerals (especially beta-carotene, a compound that supports vision and eye health), the non-orange varieties are less known. Along with having lower sugar content, purple and yellow carrots, which actually predate their orange cousins, offer different nutrients, like lutein, which helps prevent macular degeneration.

“If we see in the beginning that the beet greens are very tender, for sure we’re going to have amazing carrots,” said chef Jose Catrimán. “The taste is richer. It will have more protein,” he says, adding that each year the quality of the soil, and therefore the produce, improves.

“We started with nothing in the soil, but every veggie gives something to the earth, so now we have a super-rich garden,” says Jose.

The carrot crop is the second most popular vegetable in the world after potato. China ranks first in production, followed by Russia.

In addition to beta-carotene, carrots contain vitamins C and K, potassium and dietary fiber, which assist with weight loss and are linked to lower cholesterol levels.

At La Granja, carrots are served raw of course, but they’re also pickled, preserved and fermented—techniques that became especially central when the covid-19 lockdown left the farm with a surplus of uneaten produce.

“We were actually ready to serve 100 people from April, and we found ourselves with this mountain of produce, so we had to find a solution,” said Eduardo Fiaschi, a Tuscan-born chef Noma alum who studied fermentation under Danish master and Noma chef René Redzepi before joining Jose Catrimán at the helm of La Granja’s Kitchen in 2020.

With the carrots and chilies from the farm, Eduardo explained, “we do a kind of kimchi but a bit more Mediterranean. We put some rosemary inside and some thyme and all the botanicals that we can find on the farm.”

“Everything that you ferment, it's something that you keep alive,” said Eduardo. "That's something that I think is really cool. It keeps growing taste-wise and also bacteria-wise. It’s probiotic, it's healthy. It's a different range of flavor."

Encyclopedia

Avocado

Originated in south-central Mexico
May help to ward off cancer and inflammation and assist digestion and heart health
Harvested from late spring to early fall
4-7 years seed to harvest

Chili

Originated in Mexico
May help promote weight loss and relieve pain
Grown in summer
60-95 days seed to harvest

Carrot

Originated in Persia
Improves health of eyes, skin, hair, growth, and immune system
Grown year round
60-80 days seed to harvest

Eggplant

Originated in southern Asia
Strengthens bones, reduces symptoms of anemia, improves cognition and cardiovascular health, protects the digestive system
Grown in summer
100-150 days seed to harvest

Greens

A great source of beneficial plant compounds like antioxidants and polyphenols
Strengthens heart health, lowers risk for numerous chronic diseases
Grown year round
2-3 weeks seed to harvest

Herbs

Rich with unique antioxidants, organic compounds, essential oils, vitamins and phytosterols
Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties
Thought to strengthen immunity and reduce risk of various diseases

Green Bean

Originated in Peru
Contains vitamins A, C, K, folic acid and fiber
Supports brain health, repairs cell damage and strengthens bones
Grown in summer
50-55 days seed to harvest

Lavender

Originated in the Mediterranean and Middle East
Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, can help heal minor burns and insect bites
Grown in summer
14-21 days from seed to harvest

Pepper

Originated in the Americas
Improves eye health and reduces risk of cancer, anemia and heart disease
Grown late spring to early fall
60-90 days seed to harvest

Strawberry

Originated in the Americas
Contributes to skin and hair health, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke
Grown in spring
5 months to a year or more seed to harvest