In the first of his new series, keen grower and cook Rob Smith looks beyond the plot to bring his top tips of harvesting, preparing and storing your favourite produce

The joy of growing your own veg is undeniable, there’s nothing quite like the taste of freshly picked carrots. However, as gardeners know, that freshness can be fleeting. The good news? With a bit of preserving knowhow, you can keep enjoying your carrots well past their prime picking season. By turning your carrots into pickles, jams, dried snacks and frozen ingredients, you can savour your harvest for up to a year and beyond.

Plus, you make the most of your carrots in the kitchen by growing those which are best for certain uses; from the sweet, jam-ready ‘Cascade F1’ to the juicy ‘Fire Wedge F1’ and the crispy ‘Autumn King’, each variety offers something special, letting you enjoy your harvest all year round.

‘Carruba F1’ – great for basting in butter!

VARIETY SELECTION – THE KEY TO COOKING SUCCESS

Choosing the right carrot variety for your needs is key to getting the most out of your crop, so here are a few varieties that I’ve found have particularly good uses in the kitchen.

■ ‘Fire Wedge F1’: This variety is one of the juiciest, making it ideal for carrot juice. Its high water content means it’s one of the best to get the most juice from your harvest.