Fun Facts
- Carrots can be orange, red, yellow, white or purple in colour.
- Carrots are a type of root vegetable, this is because the edible part of the carrot is actually the root of the plant.
- Eating an excessive amount of carrots can turn a person’s skin yellowish-orange.
- After potatoes, carrots are the most popular vegetable in the world.
- The green tops of carrots are also edible, although not a lot of people know this.
- Carrots can be eaten raw (cut into sticks and eaten alone or with dips, sliced into rings or grated) or cooked (boiled, baked, roasted or steamed and included in soups, stews and pies). They can also be used in sweet recipes, such as carrot cake and Christmas pudding, or juiced.
Where do we come from?
Carrots were first grown in the middle of Asia, 3,000 years ago, in a region which is now known as the country Afghanistan. However, today carrots are a very popular vegetable and they are grown all over the world.
Most of our carrots are produced in farms across the UK and Holland, but they are super easy to grow at home in your garden! Why don’t you give it a try?
Test Yourself! Can you locate all of these countries on a map?
We are good for you!
Like all fruits and vegetables, carrots are low in sodium, calories and fat and are a good source of dietary fibre. But carrots are especially good for you because …
- They are a good source of vitamin A which is good for both your skin and your immune system.
- They are a good source of the natural plant pigment beta carotene.
Grow your own at home!
Carrots are really easy to grow in your back garden at home, so why not give it a try? Carrots will not grow during the winter months, so you should try and plant seeds from February onwards, then the carrots with be ready for harvesting in June.
- Rake the soil where you want to plant your carrots. (Make sure the soil is deep enough because the carrots will grow downwards into the soil.)
- Make a small, shallow trench in the soil about 1cm deep.
- Thinly spread the seeds along the trench.
- If you want more than one row of carrots, make sure that the trench rows are about 15-30cm apart.
- Cover the seeds in a small amount of soil, until the ground is level.
- Don’t forget to water the seeds! Sometimes it can help to cover the plants in netting, to make sure the birds cannot eat them!
- The carrots should be ready to harvest and eat from June onwards.
Make sure you give it a try, we promise they will taste delicious! Don’t forget to email us pictures of your carrots, to add to our gallery.
Myth Busters …
Carrots don’t actually make you see in the dark! But they are a good supply of vitamin A, which helps improve your eyesight, as well as bones, teeth and skin.
Get Cooking! Homemade Carrot Cake