Garden Myth: Carrot Tops Are Poisonous

Many gardeners believe that carrot tops (carrot leaves) are poisonous. After all, don’t we usually cut them off and toss them into the compost pile when we harvest carrots?

In fact, though, not only aren’t they poisonous, they’re even edible … and quite tasty! Plus they’re rich in minerals and vitamins, notably in vitamin A, like the roots, but also six times richer in vitamin C plus a great source of potassium and calcium.

Carrot tops taste a lot like mix of parsley (a close relative) and carrot roots. Mature leaves can be bitter, but you can fix that by blanching them or cooking them. Or toss a few into a smoothie with a sweet fruit and that will hide any bitterness.

The young leaves are even better, as they have little to no bitter taste. So when you thin your carrots, just eat your thinnings, both root and leaf!

Here’s a recipe for carrot-top pesto you might want to try.