1 | Appearance
When cultivated, carrots are visible above ground as a 1- to 2-foot-tall plant with compounded, deeply cut leaves that have a lacy, feathered appearance. The underground taproot (the actual carrot) varies in shape from short and blunt to long and cylindrical. In addition to the common orange color, carrots can be white, yellow or purple.
2 | Use
Among their many uses, roasting carrots brings out their natural sweetness when the edges are allowed to caramelize. Carrots also can be glazed, added to salads or oatmeal, pickled as a crunchy crudité, puréed in soups or shredded into carrot cake. Of course, carrots also are a great addition to a rich pot roast recipe. The green carrot tops also can be added to smoothies or chopped to make pesto or chimichurri.
3 | Grow
According to the LSU AgCenter, it is best to plant carrot seeds in South Louisiana between August 15 and November 15. The seeds should be planted one-eighth of an inch deep with 1 to 2 inches between plants. The carrots will be ready for harvest in 70 to 75 days. Recommended varieties include Danvers 126, Purple Haze (AAS) and Thumbelina (AAS). General fertilizer or equivalent guidelines per 100 feet of row or per 300 square feet are 6 to 7 pounds 8-8-8 or 4 to 5 pounds 8-24-24 with side dressing three to four weeks after planting. Kale is a good rotator crop for carrots.
4 | Learn
According to the Food Literacy Center, carrots (mostly purple) were grown in the Afghanistan region 5,000 years ago, and Egyptologists believe Egyptian temple drawings from 2,000 BC depict purple carrots. And, according to the World Carrot Museum, Dutch growers cultivated the orange carrot from yellow varieties in the late 15th century.
5 | Lagniappe
There are two types of carrots to avoid: the packaged baby carrots in the grocery store and the giant horse carrots. The first are simply whittled down from larger carrots, while true baby carrots are harvested before reaching maturity and are prized for their sweetness. The latter are watery and bland and are actually meant for horses.
