THE weather may be scorching hot, but it sure has brought a bountiful harvest to our gardens.

Every day we're collecting something for each meal whether it's asparagus for breakfast, tomatoes and Lebanese cucumbers for lunch, or purple beans and new potatoes for dinner.

Not to mention the lovely spinach, kale and silverbeet that can be added to nearly everything.

I've been waiting anxiously for our carrots to be ready, and this week they finally were.

Is there anything better than the smell of carrots just pulled out of the ground, clumps of dirt still clinging to the sweet-scented skin?

Well, perhaps a sun-warmed tomato might rival it, or a just-sliced crisp cucumber, but it's rather marvellous all the same.

Although the heat had withered the green tops a bit, under the soil the carrots were fat, crunchy and juicy, beautifully tender and sweet.

While we happily nosh on raw carrots dipped in garlicky yogurt or a good hummus, our other favourite way to eat them is roasted with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a hearty grind of sea salt and black pepper.

Roasting brings out their sweetness and they are delicious eaten hot or cold.

You can also turn them into a salad by adding a tangy dressing such as lime cumin, some fresh rocket leaves, and a scattering of fresh goat's cheese torn into chunks.

Try roasting them with different sauces such as soy or balsamic vinegar to give them a flavour boost, or spice them up with creamy roasted garlic cloves or a dusting of sumac or cumin.

With each harvest of vegetables, space is created in our gardens for new plantings.

So this week I hauled out my treasured seed box and started sorting through envelopes, plastic baggies and twists of aluminium foil containing special seeds from dear friends.

It's so inspiring to go through them, and numerous seed catalogues, envisioning mid-winter harvests of red cabbages and brussels sprouts, fat bulbs of celeriac and kohlrabi, and a lot more carrots.

What's your favourite vegetable to eat in winter?

Simple roasted carrots

Ingredients:

raw carrots, washed and trimmed (no need to peel)

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

fresh ground black or white pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.

2. In a medium bowl toss carrots with remaining ingredients until evenly coated.

3. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper and arrange carrots in single layer.

4. Place in oven and roast 45-60 minutes depending on thickness of carrots. Reduce time for smaller carrots, increase for larger. Carrots are done when they're lightly blistered and can be pierced easily with a fork.

5. Serve hot or cold.