Carrots
The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus, Etymology: Middle French carotte, from Late Latin carōta, from Greek karōton, originally from the Indoeuropean root ker- (horn), due to its horn-like shape) is a root vegetable, usually orange or purple, red, white, and yellow in color, with a crisp texture when fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. It has been bred for its greatly enlarged and more palatable, less woody-textured edible taproot, but is still the same species.
Nutrition and Preparation
Carrots can be eaten in a variety of ways. The simplest way is raw as carrots are perfectly digestible without requiring cooking. Alternatively they may be chopped and boiled, fried, roasted or steamed, and cooked in soups and stews, as well as baby and pet foods. A well known dish is carrots julienne. Grated carrots are used in carrot cakes, as well as carrot puddings, an old English dish thought to have originated in the early 1800s. The greens are edible as a leaf vegetable, but are rarely eaten by humans, as they are mildly toxic.
Notes and Observations
Carrots are frost tolerant. It's important to provide them with a deep seed bed free of rocks and debris in order to develop a uniform root. Carrots do best in warm, moist soil.
For '09 we'll be planting the Kurota Chantenay variety which has done very well the past two seasons. Chantenays are on the short side with a wider girth and are easier to harvest.
For '09 we'll be planting the Kurota Chantenay variety which has done very well the past two seasons. Chantenays are on the short side with a wider girth and are easier to harvest.