PURPLE CARROTS?

by Turkan Aksoylu


Illustrated by Neal Stepp

Bugs Bunny nibbles on them, donkeys chase after them, and people of all ages love to eat them as a snack. You can dip them into sauces, drink their juice or make super cakes and cookies with them. Carrots are one of the most fun vegetables around!

However, there is something most people do not know about these vegetables. Originally, they were not orange! In fact, they were every color but orange. Three thousand years ago, in Afghanistan, carrots were red, black, yellow, white, green, and even purple!

In the sixteenth century the Dutch produced the orange-colored carrots, but people did not really 'eat' them. The Greeks and Romans used carrots in making medicine, Europeans used carrot juice as a coloring for butter, and French women used carrot tops to decorate their hats and hair. Later, in the seventeenth century, carrots were grown on plantations. People ate them and cooked with them. Viola Schlicting, from Texas, made the first carrot cake in the 1960's. She developed her recipe from a German recipe for carrot-nut bread, and her cake had an orange glaze with Texas pecans in it. Holtville, a small town in Southern California, holds an annual carrot festival in late January and early February. Carrot-lovers come up with all sorts of ideas to use carrots. Amazing, there is a carrot variety for every letter in the alphabet. A for Autumn King, B for Baby Bell, C for Chantenay. . . The list goes on and on.

Carrots are a great source of Vitamin A. They are rich in Beta-Carotene, which turns into Vitamin A in our bodies. Twenty average-size carrots can provide us with 10 mg's of Vitamin A. This vitamin helps us adjust our eyesight and see better at nighttime. The British made carrots a major part of their pilots' diet during the Second World War. That's not all. Carrots also help keep our hair, nails, and skin healthy. They can reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. The calcium we get from nine carrots is equal to the calcium in a glass of whole milk or over two pounds of garlic. Carrots are also a good source of fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C. Believe or not, we get enough energy to walk a mile from one carrot!

So, you decided to go and get yourself a nice big, nutritious, healthy carrot? What should you look for in a carrot? First of all, they should be firm and shaped evenly. Color is a good indicator, too. Pick a carrot that is bright orange or even close to red. Remember, the more orange coloring they have, the more Beta-Carotene you will get. The Juwarot is the most colorful carrot around. It contains twice the amount of Beta-Carotene found in other carrots. Smaller carrots are more likely to be sweet and tender. You might want to try peeled baby carrots. These kinds of carrots tend to turn white on the outside because they don't have skin to protect them. Don't worry, this isn't a big problem. Leave them in cold water for a few minutes. Their bright orange color will be back with a glow!

Orange, purple, red, big or small. . . No matter what color or size they are, carrots are natural health sticks that are worth the munching. No wonder they've been around for more than three thousand years!

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References

Carrots, by Jeannette Ferrary & Louise Fiszer. Sally's Place, 2001
http://www.sallys-place.com/food/columns/ferray_fiszer/carrots.htm

Carrot Trivia: The World Carrot Museum, by John Stolarczyk
http://website.lineone.net/~stolarczyk/trivia.html

Grimmway Farms Kids Page-History of Carrots
http://www.grimmway.com/history.htm

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To Learn More about Carrots

Carrots in Kidz Korner of Michigan Department of Agriculture
http://www.mda.state.mi.us/kids/countyfair/crops/carrot/index.html

K-12 Education: Growing Kids with the Carrots
http://www-ucdmag.ucdavis.edu/su99/News_Carrots.html

The World Carrot Museum
http://website.lineone.net/~stolarczyk/index.html

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About the Author

Turkan Aksoylu is a freelance writer, living in Pasadena, California. She is Australian, with Irish and Turkish background. She taught English for three years both overseas and in the States. Turkan enjoys writing nonfiction articles for adults and children. She gets her ideas from everyday life. She enjoys learning and writing about nature, animals, and the world around her. Her articles have been published in magazines such as the Fountain and On the Line.