First remove the greens, since they draw away moisture from the root. Tightly seal unwashed carrots in a plastic bag in the coolest part refrigerator. Wash just before using, since the added moisture in the bag could cause spoilage. Carrots begin to go limp once exposed to air.

Perhaps the best way to enjoy freshly picked carrots is to eat them raw, or simply steam or boil them. For tender, young carrots,  just scrub them well before taking either approach. Larger carrots, can have a tough skin and have too strong a flavour.  Try to resist peeling as much of the goodness is in the skin.

Depending on how fresh your carrots are they should last about 10 days and probably longer. Ideally growing your own is the way to go as they are very easy with many varieties suiting patio tubs and the traditional large garden variety. This means you can simply pick all you need and leave the rest in the ground.  If you are limited on space or motivation buy the freshest you can find.

Carrots should also be stored away from apples, pears, potatoes and other fruits and vegetables that produce ethylene gas since it will cause them to become bitter.

Refrigeration - Carrots can keep in the refrigerator for up to three months if properly prepared for storage. Remove all but about 2 inches of the green stubble to prevent the carrot from rotting. Allow the carrot outer skin to dry in sun for a day or so. Do not wash until ready to use carrot. Place carrots into refrigerator.

Microwaving - Research has shown that microwave blanching is not always an effective method, as some enzymes may not be inactivated. This could result in low-quality frozen vegetables with off-colours, off-flavours and poor texture. If blanching is done in a microwave oven, follow individual manufacturer's instructions. Microwave blanching does not save time or energy.
How to successfully microwave carrots. Here is how we do it. Take a suitable dish which has a removable cover, we use a pirex dish and lid (which is microwave, heat proof glassware). Take about a pound of carrots (half kilo) and put them in the dish. These can be whole carrots or sliced it makes no difference. Boil some water in a kettle and pour the boiling water over the carrots to cover them, then immediately pour off the water leaving the carrots still wet and the merest hint of water in the bottom of the dish. Put the lid on then Microwave at full power for about 8 minutes. This works every time.

Home Freezing - To freeze carrots they must be blanched, the best way to blanch carrots is in boiling water. Use a blancher with a basket and cover, or fit a wire basket into a large kettle with a lid.  Blanching (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. Blanching slows or stops enzyme action which can cause loss of flavour, colour and texture.   The youngest and most tender carrots freeze the best.

Use one gallon of water per pound of prepared vegetable. Using these proportions, the water should continue to boil when vegetables are lowered into the water. Put the carrots in the blanching basket and lower into vigorously boiling water. Place a lid on the blancher. Start counting blanching time as soon as the water returns to a boil. Time for whole Carrots is minimum of 5 minutes.

Keep the heat high so that water continues to boil throughout the blanching process. Select young, tender, coreless, medium length carrots. Remove tops, wash and peel. Leave small carrots whole. Cut others into thin slices, ¼-inch cubes or lengthwise strips.

Water blanch small whole carrots for 5 minutes, diced or sliced 2 minutes and lengthwise strips take 2 minutes.

Cool promptly drain and place in plastic containers, leaving ½-inch head space. Seal and freeze as soon as possible.

Research has shown that microwave blanching is not always an effective method, as some enzymes may not be inactivated. This could result in low-quality frozen vegetables with off-colours, off-flavours and poor texture. If blanching is done in a microwave oven, follow individual manufacturer's instructions. Microwave blanching does not save time or energy.

Canning (or bottling) - Canned carrots must be processed in a pressure canner. Do not can in a water bath canner. To can carrots safely follow these simple instructions;
1. Select small carrots, preferably 1 to 1 1/4 inch in diameter. Large carrots are often too fibrous. Wash, peel and rewash carrots. Slice or dice.
2. Hot Pack -- Cover carrots with water and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Pack into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired.
3. Fill jars to 1 inch from top with boiling water.
4. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust two piece lids and process.
5. Process in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner at 11 pounds pressure or in a Weighted Gauge Pressure Canner at 10 pounds pressure: pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.

Pickling - Another great way of preserving excess carrots is to pickle them. Try this recipe. These pickled carrots make a wonderful condiment with curry, and add a tangy, sweet and sour note to salads.

Ingredients

8 oz. carrots, peeled and cut into match sticks about 2" long
1 tbsp. coarse salt
1 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
crushed red chilli pepper flakes, to taste

Place the carrots in a bowl and toss with the salt. Allow to sit for 1 hour. Drain well.
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, and chilli flakes in a small saucepan. Heat over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Add the vinegar mixture to the carrots and toss well. Allow to marinate for 1-2 hours before serving, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.

Another recipe:

Pickled carrots are very easy to make. All you need are the carrots (washed and cut into carrot sticks, sized to fit in whatever size mason jar you're using), some kosher salt, some white vinegar, dill, garlic and jalapeno peppers.

First, prepare all of your ingredients. Wash and cut the carrots, peel the cloves of garlic (2 per jar should be good, although you can't go wrong with a few more), and cut the jalapenos into whatever amount you think is good - I usually put 1/2 a jalapeno per jar. Clean the dill, and cut it up so that you'll have 1 or 2 sprigs per jar.

Next, you'll need to prepare the mason jars. I put them in the oven (jar only, no lid) at about 250 degrees F, and wait until they get real hot.

While the mason jars are sterilizing you'll need to prepare a half-gallon or so of the pickling brine, which is just a mixture of salt, vinegar and water. I can't give you the proper proportions, so you'll need to get those elsewhere. Heat this up so it's almost at a very light boil, and keep it there.

At the same time, start a large pot of water boiling. It should be deep enough so that when you submerge the mason jars in it, the hot water should come up to about the shoulder of the jar.

Now it's time to fill the jars. Use a pot holder or tongs to remove the jars from the oven, one by one. First, put the garlic, jalapenos and dill in each jar then cram in as many carrots as you can. Once it's full, put the jar in the boiling water. Do this for 2 or 3 more jars, until the pot is full of jars. After a few minutes, little bubbles should appear on the inside of the 1st jar you put in the pot. Take it out and quickly put the lid on the jar, and set it aside. Repeat for the remaining jars.

As the jars cool, the button on top of the lid should get pushed in. When you're finished with all of the jars, wait a few hours and check to see that none of the lids are still "popped" - if any are, remove the lid and re-boil the contents and try again.

Set the finished jars aside for a few weeks. Resist temptation to open them. Soon, you'll have a nice batch of dill-garlic-jalapeno pickled carrots. Yum!

How to Dry Carrots Carrots are incredibly easy to dry! Simply top & tail the carrots & then wash & peel. Chop the carrots into 2-4mm slices and then place on the trays of your Ezidri, making sure the pieces aren't touching. Dehydrate at 55 deg C (Snackmaker - Medium) for 10 hours.

You can also choose to grate your carrots & create your own dehydrated carrot flakes. These should take between 6 & 10 hours to dry, and should be placed on Mesh Sheets.

Carrots are 88% water so they will reduce in size considerably. You may want to condense the trays a few hours into the drying process. When ready, the carrots should be crisp to the touch with no visible signs of moisture.

Dried carrots can be used directly in recipes where they will absorb a lot of water. Another great idea is to place the dried carrot pieces into a food processor and make into a fine powder which is delicious in soups, casseroles, drinks & more. Included in this section is several recipes which make use of Carrot powder - make sure you check them out!

To store your carrot pieces, flakes or powder, place in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place.

Underground root cellar - For extended fresh storage of carrots, use underground root storage. Prepare the carrots like you're going to store them in the refrigerator. Then pack into containers surrounded by straw or moist sand or sawdust for keeping in any outdoor storage pit or root cellar. Place them in an area just above 32 degrees Fahrenheit with 95 percent humidity.

Traditionally, this was done in a pit or clamp with a layer of straw and soil on top, along with potatoes. The clamp keeps the roots cool and slightly moist too. If an old fridge is available, it makes a very good store. Plastic bags with holes are quite good too, but the roots must have cool conditions or they will sprout. Storage in sand and soil is sometimes recommended but this can create earthy, woody off-flavours in carrots.  Do NOT store near apples!

The method of preserving the root vegetables was known as 'clamping' and it involved storing the vegetables in what was known as a 'clamp'. The principles were:

• to store only those vegetables that were in sound condition and to remove excess stalks and leaves that could rot in storage
• to keep the stored vegetables slightly moist so that they did not dry out while keeping out the wet which would have made them rot
• to prevent the frost getting to them
• to prevent the light getting to them.

How to store Carrots (from World War Two pamphlet - but still relevant!) Official leaflet here.

The secret of storing carrots is in lifting them (pulling them up) in good condition. Lift them during dry weather, not later than the middle of October. Reject all blemished carrots and all damaged or forked roots. It is not necessary to clean them, but be careful to see they are quite dry.

You will need a dry shed for your storing, if possible with a stone or concrete floor, and some slightly moist sand. If you cannot get sand, earth taken from the top of the ground, shaken through a very fine sieve and slightly moistened, is the best substitute.

 Lay alternate rows of carrots and sand (or earth) either on the ground, in pyramid shape, or in boxes. Cover your pyramid or box with sand (or earth). Put over it a layer of straw as a safeguard against frost. The carrots should be stored crown to tail in rows. Use the carrots as you require them, but take care that the remaining pile is always well covered. It is a wise plan to rebuild your pyramid at least once during the winter.