Carrots grow in North Carolina almost year round, often ready before the first day of spring and available through the end of May, with a second season from mid-August through November.

This nutrient-rich root vegetable can be eaten raw atop salads or dipped into hummus. They can be cooked in a bit of water with butter, sugar and salt. Chopped, shredded, mashed and julienned, they are quite cooperative. They are not fragile or temperamental. They don’t mind being left out on a kitchen counter or in the produce drawer. They will wait until you’re ready for them. They are like the best kind of good, old friend – patient, open to change and easy to love.

I once sautéed carrots with some chopped onion when a friend joined us for dinner. He blurted out, “I don’t like carrots!” My usually polite and reserved guest had a knee-jerk reaction to a long life of poorly prepared carrots. It was the only vegetable planned for our dinner that night, and he decided to take a bite. Then another. “Well, I never used to like carrots. These are delicious!” Like so many things, we don’t think we like them until we experience them in a new way.

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Carrot and Coconut Pudding

Carrot and Coconut Pudding can be served as a chilled dessert or a side dish. The coconut and cardamom flavors are Indian-inspired, with the natural sweetness of the carrot enhanced through cooking. When serving as a side dish, the honey can be left out. When serving the pudding as a dessert, an extra drizzle of honey makes a pretty presentation.

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North Carolina Field & Family Spring 2026
Flip through the pages of the Spring 2026 edition of North Carolina Field and Family magazine. In this issue, impress your guests with creative yet easy spring holiday recipes, learn how farmers face challenges planning the future of their farmland, meet some North Carolina beef producers raising the steaks, start your engines with eight reasons to visit Richmond County, get crabby with Sheri Castle’s Deviled Crab recipe and much more.

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