Carrot. The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root vegetables around - a result of its sweet flavour, which means it can be used raw or cooked, in sweet or savoury dishes. Up to the Middle Ages, all carrots were purple - the orange variety was first developed in 16th-century Holland by patriotic growers who bred it in tribute to the king, William I of Orange. That old wive's tale about carrots helping you see in the dark isn't entirely off-target; they're very high in betacarotene, which is an important nutrient in maintaining healthy eyes. Availability All year round, but at their best mid May through to the end of September. Choose the best Carrots should be firm, with unblemished, bright orange skins. In spring, look out for young, thin carrots with their feathery greens still attached - they're particularly tender and sweet. Those on sale later in the season will be larger and tougher.
Prepare it Store it Cook it Alternatives Try parsnip or turnip. Carrots. Although carrots are available throughout the year, locally grown carrots are in season in the summer and fall when they are the freshest and most flavorful. Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family, named after the umbrella-like flower clusters that plants in this family produce. As such, carrots are related to parsnips, fennel, parsley, anise, caraway, cumin and dill. Carrots can be as small as two inches or as long as three feet, ranging in diameter from one-half of an inch to over two inches. Carrot roots have a crunchy texture and a sweet and minty aromatic taste, while the greens are fresh tasting and slightly bitter. While we usually associate carrots with the color orange, carrots can actually be found in a host of other colors including white, yellow, red, or purple.
What's New and Beneficial about Carrots Carrots, sliced, raw1.00 cup(122.00 grams) NutrientDRI/DV molybdenum13.5% phosphorus6.1% Health Benefits Antioxidant Benefits Cardiovascular Benefits Vision Health Description. Carrot. Description Flowers of a carrot plant The carrot is a variable biennial plant, usually growing up to 1 m tall and flowering from June to August. The umbels are claret-coloured or pale pink before they open, then bright white and rounded when in full flower, measuring 3–7 cm wide with a festoon of bracts beneath; finally, as they turn to seed, they contract and become concave like a bird's nest.
The dried umbels detach from the plant, becoming tumbleweeds.[1] Similar in appearance to the deadly poison hemlock,[2][3] D. carota is distinguished by a mix of bi-pinnate and tri-pinnate leaves, fine hairs on its stems and leaves, a root that smells like carrots, and occasionally a single dark red flower in its center. History The wild ancestors of the carrot are likely to have come from Iran and Afghanistan, which remain the centre of diversity of Daucus carota, the wild carrot. In early use, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Chemistry β-Carotene structure. Daucus carota ssp. sativus. Daucus carota subsp. sativus [edit] Familia: Apiaceae Subfamilia: Apioideae Tribus: Scandiceae Subtribus: Daucinae Genus: Daucus Species: D. carota Subspecies: Daucus carota subsp. sativus Name[edit] Daucus carota subsp. sativus Linnaeus, C.
References[edit] Linnaeus, C. (1753). Vernacular names[edit] Boarisch: Karóttenbosanski: Mrkvačeština: Mrkev obecnádansk: GulerodDeutsch: Möhre, KarotteEnglish: Carrotespañol: Zanahoriafrançais: CarotteHawai`i: Kāloke ‘āhiuhornjoserbsce: Morchejíslenska: Gulrótעברית: גזר הגינהmagyar: MurokNederlands: PeenNordfriisk: Wochelportuguês: Cenouraрусский: Морковьsuomi: RuokaporkkanaTürkçe: Havuç. Daucus carota subsp. sativus.