The problem that i used to have with this veg growing lark was that everything took so long to grow…i wanted instant results! But, i have learned to enjoy the process of letting things grow at their own speed, and have found other things to whinge about.
I planted two varieties of carrots, a purple one called ‘Purple Haze,’ (right above) and a bog standard orange variety (left above) called ‘Autumn King 2.’ I also planted a load of last year’s parsnip seed, but due to the fact that parsnip seed doesn’t keep, only one seed germinated out of about 30, and that is looking very sorry for itself. A lesson learnt! More carrot seed has been planted out to fill the gaps where the parsnip, and some carrot seed didn’t germinate.
Both myself and the Mrs. prefer veg to look ‘normal,’ i.e. as we were fed it when we were younger, but with carrots, we’ve decided to give purple ones a try, as that was the colour they were originally! According to the Carrot Museum website, carrots were originally purple. There is evidence of this from 4000 years ago!
The orange variety was developed by Dutch growers who wanted a carrot in the colours of the House of Orange, grown from a mutant yellow seed from North Africa.
Not only are we being true to history, but purple carrots are also really good for us. The orange ones help with our Vitamin A - which the website above says are essential for healthy skin and vision in dim light (so carrots do help you see in the dark!), and the purple ones contain anthocyanins - these act as anti-oxidants that protect against various forms of cancer and heart disease.
Research Communications carried out a study that found anthocyanins - the compounds that give colour to red, blue and purple fruit and veg - actually slow the growth of cancer cells. That’s fine by me!
So, we are being true to history by championing purple carrots and keeping our bodies healthy at the same time. It’s tempting to eat a lot more red, blue and purple veg if it’s that good for me!
Bizarrely, i’m more excited about the purple leaves that come with the purple carrots…
Tags: autumn king 2, life saving veg, purple carrots, purple haze
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm
What do you mean parsnip seed doesn’t keep??? Where did it say that on my packet? Damn!
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I knew about the history of purple carrots, it just seems bizarre doesn’t it that they were ‘unfashionable’ at one time. They say you should try and eat a meal with at least 3 or 4 different colours in it - so purple carrots is definitely a bonus in that regard!
I like the sound of the purple leaves…might give them a whirl next year.
June 4th, 2008 at 1:16 am
Hey, that’s cool! I’ve heard that about red, blue, and purple foods—in fact, I think I was researching our blue potatoes when I came across the info … I wonder if it applies to things like red onions and purple cabbage, too? Or all the blue popsicles I ate as a kid?
June 4th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Hope you can get them to germinate. I’ve tried three times now and failed; about 1 in 20 seeds germinates. I’ve been longing to eat a purple carrot for years!!
June 5th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Ooo purple carrots, now that would fox my little one! You will have to let us know what they taste like. Yum yum…
June 6th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Wow, I didn’t know that about carrots. I’ve heard homegrown carrots are amazing. I wish I had room for them in my garden. Great site by the way.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
[…] month or so ago, i wrote a post entiitled life saving veg. It explained about purple carrots, and i waffled a little about how they are good for the […]