About Carrots.
Fine tasting heirloom varieties can make a difference.
The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed will set off a revolution. - Paul Cezanne
Hello Everyone.
I began thinking about carrots a few weeks back when I made one of my favorite cakes for Easter. It is a maple carrot cake, the original recipe came from the New York Times, yet I have adapted it over the years. I can almost make it by heart, and the best part is that it forgiving about what type of carrots I use. This spring, I had to rely on carrots left over from last fall. They were tired-looking with small roots growing out of the sides from being in storage too long, yet they still packed great flavor.
Flavor is not something that most people consider when eating carrots since most of us buy them in plastic bags at the store, and they are good enough. An essential ingredient in soup, served with dips, or packed in a lunchbox, these are mostly generic. Carrots are considered a staple along with milk and eggs, they all taste the same. A bunch of carrots with green tops tied together is the closest thing to real carrots that non-gardeners can get. They signal freshness and good health, yet don’t often taste as good as they look.
If you garden, you read seed catalogs and know there is a difference between varieties. Every carrot has a name and looks slightly different in the photos, yet even the seed catalog copy does not convey how much of a difference flavor can make. The description mostly focuses on the size, length of time it takes to grow, and the color - is it orange, purple, or yellow? If it mentions flavor, it will simply say “great flavor” but what does that mean when talking about carrots? Sweet, earthy, satisfyingly crunchy. Is that all there is to carrots?
A carrot is the iconic garden vegetable, grown by most gardeners. But it’s not an easy crop to master. I buy several seed packets each year, each containing about 500-800 seeds, yet my actual harvest yields only a small fraction of that amount. Blame it on the soil, not enough water, or any number of setbacks including marauding rabbits, but the truth is that carrots take their sweet time to show any sign of life. Sometimes I even forget they were planted. They are not like salad greens that sprout quickly for instant satisfaction. With carrots, you have to be patient, mixed with a bit of hope. A good rain helps, too. Carrots can take well over a month to grow into a harvestable root.
I have not met anyone who does not eat carrots or is allergic to carrots, and because of this, they have become a big crop for commercial carrot growers. Most have opted for hybrid varieties with vigorous roots and strong tops ideal for easy mechanical harvest. This takes away the flavor gene. You may never know what a true carrot should taste unless you become a gardener. Or live near a local farmer who cares about the flavor of carrots as much as you do.
I have grown many types of carrots, and while I have my favorites, I still have questions about how to describe how a carrot should taste. All I can share is that I have tasted a lot of carrots, side by side, and know that the heirloom varieties will always reign supreme. Sure, there are a few good hybrid types, too, but the ones that are often the hardest to grow are those that will wow you with their flavor profile. This is part of the challenge and the rewards of being a gardener.
How would you describe the flavor?
You may first think ‘earthy’ because they grow underground. Perhaps ‘sweet’, but sweet like candy or a butter frosting? We can all agree that carrots have a licorice flavor, slightly sweet and bitter, too, oddly medicinal sometimes. This is because they are in the Umbelliferae family, which includes anise, caraway, celery, cilantro, and dill. All grow an umbrella-shaped flower that forms the seeds, Perfect nectar for ladybugs, parasite wasps, and the black swallowtail butterfly, the ideal plant for a native rewilding garden.
Are carrots best eaten raw or cooked?
I prefer raw carrots, yet cooked carrots are considered healthier, especially the purple carrots which jump to over 400 percent more Vitamin A when cooked. I follow the Marcella Hazan method of simmering in a small amount of water with a tablespoon of butter, scattering of tarragon, and grinding of black pepper. Cook until the water is reduced to nothing.
What are the best-tasting carrots?
When we had the seed catalog, The Cook’s Garden, we held tasting events with raw carrots and found the heirloom varieties were hand-down more flavorful. Many heirloom varieties have weaker tops, which makes them nearly impossible to harvest without a garden fork, yet worth the effort for that homegrown flavor.
Our favorites were Touchon, Chantennay, and Nantes, French heirloom varieties, which were hands-down voted the best. The Danvers is a naturally smaller carrot developed in Massachusetts in the 1870s is also excellent. ( Sources include Southern Exposure Seeds, Seeds of Italy, and Botanical Interests)
Hybrid varieties that rate high in the flavor category are Mokum, Napoli, and Minicor. ( Sources include Johnny’s, High Mowing, and Territorial Seeds)
Why are carrots orange?
Carrots were discovered in Central Asia and gathered for the leaves and seeds, which were considered medicinal. Carrot seed and oil are still sold as a medicine, used to fight bacterial infections. The roots were a secondary thought, originally tough, woody, and purple. (Tomatoes and potatoes started all purple, too.) Like many of our favorite domesticated edibles, plant breeders turned them yellow, white, and orange, giving them more sweet and tender attributes.
What makes them hard to grow?
Conditions that are too hot, too dry, too crowded, or too much nitrogen in the soil. Round carrots grow best in compact soil conditions, along with shorter types often called “baby” carrots. Before sowing carrot seeds, fully water the soil to give the seeds a moist row, and then keep the soil lightly damp until the seeds germinate.
Carrots often require thinning, yet if you mix carrot seeds with 30% radish seeds, harvesting the radishes which grow twice as fast, will naturally thin the carrots to allow them good spacing to grow.
Now that you are thinking about carrots, I encourage you to check out this webinar about how to grow carrots, with Petra at Fruition Seeds. How can a single carrot can set off a revolution? By paying attention to all the ways we can integrate good health with eating well. I consider carrots one of the greatest reasons to grow a kitchen garden.
From my kitchen garden to yours,
Ellen O.
Ellen Ecker Ogden is the author of The New Heirloom Garden and other books for cooks who love to garden. Follow her on Instagram or find her books in bookstores everywhere.
Great article. Carrots are so under-valued. A beautiful vegetable, especially the heirloom. As you rightly said though, just so darned tricky to get right!!
Thank you for the cake recipe. I haven’t had much success with carrots in my garden but this makes me want to try harder. We get lots of carrots in our vegetable share so I get the hierarchy of taste.