Carrots in todays world

The Carrot is the second most popular vegetable in the world after the potato. When you read the nutrition pages you will see and agree why it should be number one.

Photo compliments of USDA Agricultural Research Service, where researchers have selectively bred carrots with pigments that reflect almost all colors of the rainbow. More importantly, though, they're very good for your health. Photo by Stephen Ausmus.

In fact in England it is number 1 according to a survey carried out by the National Trust in 2002. Overall, 17% of the 2,031 people in the survey opted for the carrot. It came ahead of the potato (15%) and broccoli (13%) in a battle of the vegetable patch. Least favourites by those questioned were Brussels Sprouts, Parsnip, Swede and Turnip.

Orange coloured carrots are the most popular but are also available in White, Yellow and Maroon. The Maroon coloured varieties are making a big comeback in English stores. Read more here.

The carrot plant is indigenous to the maritime chalky soils of southern Europe but has spread widely, partly through reversion from cultivated plants. It still prefers the sea coast climate but is strong enough to be found almost anywhere.

The carrot is a member of the parsley family which includes about 2,500 species such as dill, caraway, cumin, chervil, coriander, fennel, anise, parsley, parsnip, and celery. It also includes poisonous species such a poison hemlock, water hemlock and fools parsley. Then ornamentals like sea holly, masterwort and blue lace flower. The cultivated carrot belongs to the genus Daucus L. which contains many wild forms.

The cultivated carrot, hybridised from the wild carrot can be either an annual (mainly in tropical areas) or a biennial (mainly in Different types of carrots

temperate areas). It is an erect herb of 20-50 cm tall when mature, and 120-150 cm when flowering. The taproot is fleshy, straight, conical to cylindrical, 5-50 cm long and 2-5 cm in diameter at the top, and usually orange (other colours include: purple, yellow, or white). Daucus Carota is a complex species, botanically comprising both wild and cultivated carrots.

There are 13 subspecies, 12 for wild taxa and 1 for the cultivated taxon. All information within these pages refers to Daucus carota sativus, some of the varieties of which are described below. Other members of the carrot family include: Chervil, Celery. Celeriac, Arracacha, Fennel, Parsnip, Parsley

Carrots belong to the family Apiaceae which is characterised by having dissected leaves, umbellate inflorescences, and fruits that are schizocarps (which split into two mericarps). Several hundred varieties of carrot exist with well over 50 different seeds generally available.

The orange colour is due to a very high level of the yellow-orange plant pigment known (reasonably enough) as carotene. Although almost all plants contain this yellow pigment, the more conspicuous chlorophyll pigment (green) usually obscures it from view. When chlorophyll breaks down in autumn, or when a plant is suffering from poor nutrition, the underlying yellow carotene pigments of leaves become obvious.

A significant portion of fresh carrot production is used to produce fresh-cut products such as “baby carrots,” carrot coins, shreds, and sticks. Carrots directed or consigned to fresh-cut processing are typically harvested at an immature stage for optimal texture and taste. Fresh-cut carrots typically have a shelf-life of 3 to 4 weeks at 0 °C (32 °F) and 2 to 3 weeks at 3 to 5 ºC (37 to 41 °F). “White blush” has remained a problem for processors and shippers of fresh-cut carrots. The superficial whiteness is caused by dehydration of the cut surface (Cisneros-Zevallos et al., 1995). Low storage temperature and the presence of residual surface moisture significantly delays development of this disorder. Using sharp knives is important to reduce tissue damage and extend shelf-life (Barry-Ryan and O’Beirne, 1998).

1. Eastern/Asiatic carrots - These are often called anthocyanin carrots because of their purple roots, although some have yellow roots. They have pubescent leaves giving them a grey-green colour and bolt easily. They have slightly dissected leaves, with branched roots and are an annual plant. The greatest diversity of these carrots is found in Afghanistan, Russia, Iran and India. These are the possible centres of domestication which took place around the 10th century. These types of carrot are still under cultivation in Asia, but are being rapidly replaced by orange rooted Western varieties.
(Purple carrots are making a comeback click here for details).

2. Western or Carotene Carrots - These have orange, red or white roots. It is most likely these carrots derived from the first group by selection among hybrid progenies of yellow Eastern carrots, white carrots and wild subspecies grown in the Mediterranean. the first two originated by mutation. These have strongly dissected leaves, the roots are unbranched and they have a bright green, sparsely hairy foliage and are biennial. These carrots may have originated in Turkey.

The western carrot is the by far the most popular carrot and can in turn be sub-divided into three groups:

1. Short-rooted varieties: These types mature more quickly and the first to be sown.
e.g.: Amsterdam Forcing, Tiana, Early French Frame, Early Nantes, Champion Scarlet Horn.
2. Medium-rooted varieties: The most common type of commercially grown carrots.
e.g.: Mokum; Flakkee; Autumn King; Chantenay Red Cored; Royal Chantenay.
3. Long-rooted varieties: These are usually grown in well-prepared and deep soils: e.g.: New Red Intermediate, Saint Valery.

Here are some samples:
	Japanese imperial long Thin, 9-12 inch roots have exceptionally fine flavour. Noted for extreme length. Dark orange, close to red at times.	Little Finger A baby gourmet carrot that is tender and sweet. A Nantes-type carrot that was developed in France for canning and pickling.
	Nantes Coreless Almost coreless cylindrical carrot with a brilliant orange colour even through the soft core. An excellent juicer and fine freezer type.	Red Core Chantenay The best tasting carrot. It is a versatile, good winter keeper, in the cellar or the ground, that is tasty raw or cooked. Becomes sweeter in storage.
	Scarlet Nantes A sweet juicer, this bright red-orange, finely-flavoured carrot contains the highest number of amino acids found in nutritional research.	Organic St Valery Vilmorin's 1885 edition of The Vegetable Garden refers to this French heirloom as, "A large handsome variety, with great productiveness, and at the same time a fine, regular shape, and thick, sweet, tender flesh."

See more photos of common varieties supplied by Thompson and Morgan the leading seed suppliers in the US and UK. Click here.

Any seeds bought via these links makes a small a contribution to the upkeep of the World Carrot Museum.

Details of common varieties with links to photos are now on separate page - click here.

Many types of carrots are available, varying according to the area and climate, and every year new varieties are brought out on the market by the multi-national seed companies. These companies try to find the perfect carrot for every market and climate.

Golf ball-type carrots (Thumbelina) and the slightly longer Chantenays are good for containers and heavy soils. Short carrots also mature faster, shaving two weeks off the time it takes to put them on the table.

Nantes, Imperator and Danvers (and Danvers Half Long) grow up to 7 inches long and are suitable for most other soils. If colour is an issue, Danvers Half Long and Royal Chantenay are bright orange, while Scarlet Nantes and Blaze (an Imperator) are deep orange, almost red.

Believe it or not - There is a carrot variety for every letter of the alphabet and just to prove it click here to see the full list.

Have you ever seen a purple carrot? How about white, yellow, red or black? Most people haven't, even though such carrots have existed for hundreds of years. They are available in good health food stores, often called "Rainbow Packs".

Carrots were originally purple or red, with a thin root. The species did not turn orange until the 1500's when Dutch growers used a mutant yellow carrot seed from North Africa to develop a carrot in the colour of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. The first carrots were grown for medicinal purposes, perhaps the medicine tasted good! There is lots more in the history pages - here.

Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that pigments in these colourful carrots, which taste just like regular carrots, may help prevent heart disease and cancer, and reduce cholesterol. Studies examining the health benefits of fruits and vegetables are revealing the disease-preventive powers of the pigments that give plants their distinctive colours.

Orange carrots get their colour from beta carotene, a pigment the body converts to vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency, although rare in the United States, poses a major public health problem in developing countries second only to protein malnutrition.

According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency partially or totally blinds nearly 350,000 children from more than 75 countries every year. Roughly 60 percent of these children die within months of going blind. However, vitamin A deficiency is preventable.

1. Temperatures above and below the optimum (above 70° and below 60°F) reduce the colour of carrots.

3. Carrots grown on sandy soils and soils high in organic matter produce a higher colour than did carrots on silt loams.

Colour is more intense in the older portions of the root. It decreases from the epidermis and center toward the cambium, and from the top to the bottom.

Studies have been carried out in the USA on the differing properties of different coloured carrots.

Orange Carrots contain beta carotene, with some alpha-carotene, both of which are orange pigments. High in Vitamin A essential for well-being, healthy eyes. These carrots originate from Europe and the Middle East.
Yellow carrots contain xanthophylls and lutene, pigments similar to beta carotene, which help develop healthy eyes aid in the fight against macular degeneration and may prevent lung and other cancers and reduce the risk of astherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). These came from the Middle East.
Red carrots are tinted by lycopene, (another form of carotene) a pigment also found in tomatoes and watermelon; lycopene is associated with the reduced risk of macular degeneration, serum lipid oxidation, helps prevent heart disease and a wide variety of cancers including prostate cancer. Originally from India and China.
Purple carrots (usually orange inside) have even more beta carotene than their orange cousins, and get their pigment from an entirely different class, the anthocyanins, these pigments act as powerful antioxidants, grabbing and holding on to harmful free radicals in the body. Anthocyanins also help prevent heart disease by slowing blood clotting and are good anti inflammatory agents. These originate from Turkey, and the Middle and Far East. (See also the purple carrot page)
White carrots lack pigment, but may contain other health-promoting substances called phytochemicals, natural bioactive compounds found in plant foods that work with nutrients and dietary fibre to protect against disease. One might say these are the least healthy of carrots. They originate from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan.
Black Carrots contain anthocyanins, part of the flavonoid family with antioxidant properties. Flavonoids are currently under investigation as anticancer compounds, as free radical scavengers in living systems, as well as inhibitors of LDL (the bad) cholesterol and the black carrot anthocyanins are especially active. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal properties and oil made from its seed can help control scalp itchiness and provides essential nutrients for hair growth. The ancient black carrot has been making a comeback, not so much for culinary purposes but as a source of natural food colorants. These originate from Turkey, and the Middle and Far East.

KIDS!! Follow the rainbow to good health and see what nutrients are contained in various colours of common fruit and vegetables - here.

The Sea Carrot

In the British Isles the only carrot species to grow in the wild is the sea carrot (Daucus Carota Gummifera).

This hairy plant has thick set stems and flat compact umbels with a lilac tint.
The Sea Carrot only grows in the southern counties of England, usually near the sea, where it may be locally abundant.

It flowers from May to September and grows to a height of 30 centimetres.

China is Carrot production King of the World , the US ranks among the other top nations in the production of carrots: fourth in acreage and volume, third in terms of yield (31.7 tons/ha). Russia, Japan, France and the United Kingdom are also leading producers. World wide 13.37 million tons were produced in 1990, a 30% increase over the past decade.
Carrot consumption in the US increased sharply in the 1990s, from about 10 pounds a person per year to 14 pounds. K

ern county, California dominates US carrot production, and two firms control 90 percent of California fresh carrots--most growers produce carrots under contract for these firms.

Texas, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are also large producers. Quite a few also emanate from Holtville, California which dubs itself "The Carrot Capital of the World." Learn about the Annual Carrot Festival (and others) by clicking here.

Carrots are ninth (out of twenty eight) among vegetable crops in the US. Average value of commercial crop is about $70,500,000 per year based on fresh-market and processed carrots, accounting for about 875,000 tons of carrots. (1979 figures)

The largest carrot producer in the world is Grimmway Carrots in California.

World production of carrots in the mid-1990s exceeded 14 million metric tons annually.

In Europe the UK has the highest production with 750,000 tons per year. Next come France (568k), Netherlands (476k) and Italy (407k) others large producers include Poland and Germany.

Carrots are also grown on a large scale in Australia. In 1999, 267,000 tonnes of carrots were produced from about 7,500 hectares. Click here to see the Australia page. There is also an Australian Carrot, which is native.
Another good Australian website - The wonderful world of Carrots.
See also the Florida Carrot website Find out more here.
Read about Texas carrots here .
Tasmania also has a healthy organic carrot industry, its website is here.

Potts Master Bakers - John had the privilege of having a personal guided tour of the leading baker of organic carrot cake, supplied to major supermarkets in the UK. It is, naturally, based in Yorkshire! Not only does it supply the trade, but also larger shops, restaurants and hotels. Quite an operation! See more here.

John also took a personal guided tour of Huntapac one of the leading carrot packers in England and suppliers to the major supermarkets in the UK. See more here - Huntapac.

Poskitts, one of the leading supermarket suppliers next for a carrot tour - Poskitt .

Cooks carrots in Lancashire supply many wholesale market, processing plants and local shops with their top quality produce - Cooks.

Another well respected carrot grower in Britain is P Caunce & Son at Brow Farm. at Brow Farm (yet to be visited!).