IN THE SPOTLIGHT…All About the forgotten flavours (Carrots)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT…All About the forgotten flavours (Carrots)

All About the forgotten flavours at the end of the list…this month we are talking about the not so humble carrot…

Of all the veggies, the humble carrot contains the highest amount of Vitamin A (as beta-carotene). This wonder-nutrient supports our vision (sadly it doesn’t help us see in the dark), helps improve the health of our skin and gut lining, and protects our cells with its antioxidant activity. They’re also a good source of vitamin E and potassium. 

Carrot shaped, carrot coloured, carrot flavoured so what else is so special about this veggie?  In almost any home you will find some carrots tucked in the fridge, bought, and then used without thought. I once read that a carrot is the perfect vehicle for hummus, a supporting vegetable to all the other flavours and that’s it in a nutshell – people don’t think carrots are exciting, their PR is a disaster!!  You just need to dig a little deeper to discover that all carrots are not equal…

 

Romance F1: this variety will give you an impressively sweet flavour packaged in a blunt tipped, straight, deep orange root. Ideal for early sowing with protection and then onwards to the end of July: and a speedy choice too as Romance can be pulled and enjoyed after 11 weeks…  this is down to its ‘Nantes’ family breeding which also gives them their high sugar content and their shorter length. This is the variety to go for if your preference is to use your crop fresh from the garden.  There is another secret to Romance carrots – they have almost no core.  This means that when you cook them you are preserving the sweetness and benefitting from the beta-carotene as these can be cooked out whilst waiting for the carrot core to cook through.  And with so little core they are also succulent eaten fresh in salads.

Royal Chantenay: Chantenay carrots are short, fat, and broad at the shoulder, tapering to a rounded blunt tip. The core is a pale orange. They store well and are the type most often used in commercial processing such as dried in forms of chips, flakes, dices, powder; as well as peeled, reshaped, and frozen into baby carrots!  Do not allow yourself to be put off we are talking specifically about ROYAL Chantenay: this choice variety for late spring & summer sowing has a sweet crisp flavour, shallow growth, and good storage ability (or you can just freeze them).  That shallow growth bit (the short fat Chantenay heritage) is what many gardeners crave with their less than perfect soil, the sweet crisp flavour is what foodies love!  The combination makes this a top choice that is lurking towards the end of our list leading it to be a forgotten flavour.

Sylvano F1: a delicious variety that can over-winter to give you fresh carrots from your plot through to February or sowing from May for pulling from September.  Whilst Sylvano is a slower grower it does have a Kuroda parent making this an extra sweet and moist variety that is happy growing through the warmer months without going ‘woody’ – well worth the wait to enjoy them.  They also store very well if you do not want them in the ground over the winter months.  The more orange your carrots are, the more beta-carotene you’re getting and Sylvano is a fantastic rich orange. 

One last thought for you…people in Ancient Rome and Greece famously thought that carrots are aphrodisiacs: early Olympians were forbidden to consume the vegetable or its juice, for fear of distracting them from focussing on their sports.  For these  three - Romance, Royal Chantenay & Sylvano -  being last has given them a chance to be a winner for you!