heirloom carrots

Heirloom carrots are a root vegetable, that comes in a variety of colors (orange, purple, black, red white and yellow). It is cultivated for its leaves and taproot. Carrots contain high quantities of vitamin A.

Heirloom carrots are an old cultivar grown and maintained by a minority of gardeners and farmers. They were commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but are not used in modern large-scale agriculture. Many heirloom carrots kept their traits through open pollination, plants pollinated naturally by birds, insects, wind, or human hands.

carrots

Carrots contain high quantities of vitamin A. Carrot cultivars can be grouped into two broad classes, eastern carrots (purple, yellow, often with branched roots) and western carrots (with an abundance of carotene). Carrots benefit from companion plants. Onions, leeks and chives for instance help repel the carrot root fly. Carrots can be stored for many months in a refrigerator, or in moist, cool places in winter. For long-term storage, carrots can be stashed in a bucket between layers of sand. A storage temperature of 0 to 5 °C is ideal.