Farmer John Writes Harvest Week 10, 1995, Newsletter It’s a miracle that we got the carrots out of the ground. The tractor had a flat tire. I got it repaired in town, and returned to the farm and a brooding horizon. Primo and I raced to put the carrot lifter on the tractor. Winds started to blow, the sky went psychedelic, the morning night turned dark like night. I lowered the lifter into the hard clay. The tractor screamed through the wind. The lathe on the lifter sliced under the carrots. Workers converged from all over the farm. They raced down the row, yanking carrots from the ground. The clouds were shadows of themselves—low, swirling. Cold pellets of water pelted us. Carrots flew. Rain streamed. We reached the end of the row as the hard ground was turning to mud. Enjoy your carrots. Angelic Organics Farm News, 1996 A shareholder once told Bob and Farmer John that as she was carrying her CSA box home on afternoon, she passed a police officer. Half a block farther she heard, “Miss! Miss! Can you tell me where you got that box?… Is that the box I saw on television? I wanna know where I can get those vegetables.” She gave him the phone number. “Do you want a carrot?” She offered. “No, Ma’am. I can’t take a carrot while I’m on duty.”

This dish is a nice accompaniment to a chicken curry; it’s a fine side at a luncheon of sandwiches and makes a simple vegetarian meal on its own over a helping of basmati rice. The thick, sweet-savory sauce nicely complements the tender carrots. If you use the cardamom seeds, grind them with a mortar and pestle. And don’t be shy adding the banana—that’s what makes this dish unique and delicious.

From Angelic Organics Kitchen

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (about 2 medium oranges)
1 cup water
4 cups 1/4-inch-sliced carrots (about 6 medium carrots)
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons ghee or butter
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
seeds from 3–4 cardamom pods, freshly ground (optional)
2 tablespoons flour
1 very ripe banana, peeled, mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation
1. Bring the orange juice and water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the carrots and reduce the heat to a simmer; cook, uncovered, until barely tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the raisins and remove the pot from heat; let stand.

2. Melt the ghee or butter in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry powder, turmeric, and cardamom seeds; cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the skillet and stir constantly until a smooth paste forms. Remove from heat.

3. Drain the carrots and raisins, reserving the orange liquid. Add about half of the liquid to the curry powder mixture in the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat, and stir to combine. When the sauce thickens nicely, slowly add in the rest of the liquid, and then stir in the mashed banana. Add the carrots and raisins and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

From Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics.
Text copyright 2006 by John Peterson and Angelic Organics.
Reprinted with permission of Gibbs Smith, Publisher, www-gibbs-smith.com

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