What is chestnut carrots?
Maroon Carrot is a carrot with a different chestnut on a purple tinge rather than a more conventional orange. In addition to looking unique, chestnut carrots also have nutritional benefits. They contain more beta carotene than their orange counterparts and have antioxidants known as anthocyans that give carrots their distinctive purple color. It is possible to find a purple carrot on some food and farmers markets, and you may also be able to get chestnut carrot seeds to expand them yourself. People have grown root vegetables for thousands of years and recognizable carrots can be seen in ancient art, such as in Egyptian tombs. The earliest carrots were white to cream color, although the Egyptians were also familiar with the purple variety. Because carrots are easily grown and stored, they were a popular source of food in most Europe, especially in northern regions with short vegetation periods, and chestnut carrots would be known for many Europeans in the Middle Ages.
It was a Dutchman who developed an orange cultivar that most people think of when we say the word "carrots" today. Orange carrots appeared around the 16th century and were reportedly kept as a tribute to the ruling Orange House in the Netherlands. Over time, the orange carrot displaced chestnut carrots, along with other color variants and took the reserved work of gardeners and biologists to restore multicolored carrot cultivars to the table.
In addition to looking different, the chestnut carrots also taste. They tend to be fresh and crispy than orange carrots, and some have an almost apple taste, especially the Betasweet cultivar developed in Texas A & M. Some people say that purple to dark red color is also more fun to eat, especially for younger guests who do not have to be thrilled to eat their vegetables.
As with regular carrots, when searching for chestnut carrots look for solid individuals without signs of soft spots. If carrots still have greenery, look forsharp and healthy peaks that are not faded or faded. You can keep Maroon carrots in the root cellar or under cooling until you can use them exactly as you would use a regular carrot.
If you want to grow chestnut carrots, you can find seeds in the local garden, or you can order them through a company that specializes in unique vegetables. Place the chestnut carrot seeds on a warm, well -drained space and keep the soil damp but not wet. When they begin to hatch, they thin them to allow carrots to grow enough space and harvest as needed. Do not allow the carrots to become too large, as they can eat wood and unpleasant; If you have more carrots than you can EV, harvest them and store them in the root cellar or consider them, turn them into chutney or freeze.