By Kathryn Reed

I have found a reason I would live in Reno. To grow carrots. Yes, really.

A friend of Sue’s gave her a bag of homegrown carrots. And then another bag. Oh, my. These little orange gems are so incredible.

They don’t look anything like what can be found in a grocery story. They are stubby.

Better yet, they don’t taste like a store bought carrot. They are sweet.

I don’t know how many I consumed as I cut some up for a salad. A slice for the salad, a slice for me, a slice for me, a slice for the salad.

But then I thought there must be something else I could do with them besides eating them raw. So, I attempted to glaze them. Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of glazed carrots, but I knew Sue would enjoy them.

Devoured. That is what happened when she got a hold of the glazed carrots. No leftovers. (I thought I had made enough for leftovers.)

Most recipes call for butter and brown sugar. I decided to melt a couple tablespoons butter, then add the carrots, and then poured in pure Vermont maple syrup. (It must be pure Vermont maple syrup when you live with someone from the Green Mountain State.)

I let them simmer a bit and then let the carrots sit in the pan to soak up the syrup. Cook them until the carrots are the consistency you want to eat them.

Measurements will depend on the number of carrots being cooked. It’s a great side dish (and apparently a meal for others).

Yes, I realize I turned a perfectly good healthy food into something almost resembling a dessert, but it was tasty, and sometimes it’s good to be bad. And to keep it vegan, consider starting the carrots in oil instead of butter.