Honey Thyme Carrots

Spring is here which means it’s thyme (Ha!) to make my Honey Thyme Carrots!  To me, Spring also means the trees are blooming, people are getting active outside again and the farmer’s markets are opening.  I volunteered at my farmer’s market yesterday.  I helped set up the tents and tables for all the farmers and vendors and then I bought all the seasonal vegetables I could get my hands on.  It’s still early in the season but the carrots and greens are plentiful!

WHY EAT SEASONAL VEGETABLES?

Choosing vegetables that have been locally grown and are picked in season give you the most nutrition from that vegetable.  Your local farmer’s market is a great place to find local, seasonal produce.  Carrots are one of my favorite Spring vegetables.  They even taste different than the carrots you get in your grocery store.  Trust me, they do!

Did you know that a lot of the fresh fruits and vegetables in your grocery store are picked before they are ripe?  This allows them to ripen while they travel across the country to a distribution center and then to your grocery store.  “Today, produce distributors regularly manipulate ripening in fruits that respond to ethylene. Bananas, tomatoes, peaches, pears and some other fruits are often picked when they’re almost ripe. These fruits are shipped while still firm and less likely to damage. Then, distributors release ethylene into the warehouse storing the fruit, ripening them further before delivery to market.” – NPR

HOW TO SOURCE LOCAL, SEASONAL PRODUCE

I suggest buying as many local and fruits and vegetables from your local farmer’s market where produce is picked when it’s ripe and brought to the farmer’s market to sell.  Click HERE to read my guide on creating a happy, healthy kitchen on a budget where I discuss how to buy local, seasonal produce and so much more!

These honey thyme carrots have local, seasonal and Spring written all over them. You can serve them as a side dish for any week night dinner.  Yet, they are special enough to serve at your Easter dinner.  The carrots and honey from my farmer’s market and I grow the thyme myself.  Thyme can survive all winter in a pot in the elements and be ready for Spring cooking!

So, go ahead, hop on down to your farmer’s market next weekend and make these carrots.  The whole family will love them!

Honey Thyme Carrots