all
about carrots
History
Of Carrots
Carrots
are the nation's favourite vegetable - 75% of Britons say they eat
carrots regularly (Mintel May 2001) and we crunch our way through
more than 10 billion carrots each year.
Ancient
roots
The British carrot is available all year round and is a vegetable
we all know and love - but it wasn't always so readily available.
In years gone by, the carrot was considered positively exotic! It
is thought that the carrot first came from Afghanistan sometime around
the 7th Century AD, when they were originally purple! Carrots were
known to both the Greeks and Romans. In fact, the Greeks called the
carrot "Philtron" and used it as a love medicine - making
men more ardent and women more yielding. The Roman emperor Caligula,
believing these stories, forced the whole Roman Senate to eat carrots
so he could see them "in rut like wild beasts"! India, China,
and Japan had established carrots as a food crop by the 13th century.
In Europe, however, they were not well known until well into the Middle
Ages. At that time, doctors prescribed them for everything from sexual
maladies to snakebite.
Integral
to many recipes
The orange carrot is thought to have originated in 16th century Holland
where the original red, purple, black, yellow, and white varietals
were hybridised to today's bright orange, with its potent dose of
beta carotene. Carrots moved to England, during Elizabethan times.
Some Elizabethans ate the roots as food; others used their feathery
stalks to decorate their hair, their hats, their dresses, and their
coats. Carrots are extremely versatile, delicious either raw or cooked,
and are an integral part in many recipes from around the globe: America
is famous for mouth-watering carrot cake; in India carrots are used
to produce a delicious fudge-like dessert called Halva. Carrots are
also an important ingredient in many Jewish recipes such as Tzimmes
- a sweet stew which is usually is orange in colour; and of course,
carrots were on the menus of many of the hotels in Vichy in France
as part of the 'cure' (for overloaded digestive systems), from where
the traditional recipe of Carrots Vichy came.
Seeing
in the dark?
Many of us will remember as children being told to 'eat up your carrots
- they'll help you see in the dark'. Although carrots are an excellent
source of vitamin A, which can help improve your night vision, this
is really an old wive's tale which is believed to have originated
during the Second World War. To conceal the fact that they possessed
radar systems, the British spread the rumour that the accuracy of
their fighter pilots was down to the large quantities of carrots they
consumed. Whilst it might be true that carrots did help the pilots,
it is more likely that radar was in fact responsible for their accuracy!
This
ruse also helped the government persuade the public to eat more carrots,
as part of the Dig for Victory campaign when people were persuaded
to grow their own vegetables. One campaign poster bore the slogan:
"Carrots keep you healthy and help you to see in the blackout".
Rich
in vitamins
As well as vitamin A, carrots contain vitamins K, C and some of the
B vitamins, as well as plenty of dietary fibre. So try something new
with carrots today - not only are they healthy but they're delicious
too!
Production
facts
The
carrot crop is Britain's major root vegetable, producing over 700,000
tonnes of sold carrots each year from 9,000 hectares.
Each
year 22 billion seeds carrot seeds are sown in Britain, producing
around 100 carrots per year for every member of the population.
The
sales value of British carrots is around £280 million.
Freshly
harvested carrots are washed, packed and distributed to nearly every
shop in the whole of Britain almost every day of the year.
Convenience
carrot products, such as batons, shaped carrots and salad shred, are
becoming increasingly popular.
Production
periods
Carrots are harvested in Britain almost 12 months of the year using
the natural climates in different parts of the country and using different
techniques.
Early
season carrots are sown in the winter and very early spring and protected
with plastic or fleece covers. They are harvested from June through
to August.
Green
top carrots are sown in the open ground in spring and are harvested
from August until the first frosts start to appear.
Strawed
carrots are sown in April to early June, and harvested from December
through to late May. Straw is applied by machine in October until
December to protect them from the winter weather and keep them dark
as they attempt to grow in the Spring.
Production
areas
Traditionally carrots have been grown in the East of the country on
the Norfolk Sands and the Fens region and up on the Lancaster peats.
Over the years this has altered with Nottinghamshire and Scotland
becoming important production areas.
Each region has different qualities and climates and by using carrot-growing
land all over the country all-year-round British production is achieved.
Early Production
Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire
Green
Top
All regions
Straw
Nottinghamshire
Late
Straw
Scotland
All
areas can produce carrots throughout the season.
Production
Methods
All carrots tend to be grown on free draining sands.
A de-stoned or de-cloded tilth is required with a loose depth of soil
which is usually 50-75 mm deeper than the required length of the carrot.
This in practice means a depth of 250-300mm is required.
Drilling with a suitable precision drill such as a Stanhay or Mini
Air is essential to ensure maximum uniformity of the crop.
The drill is also set up to ensure differential between the outside
rows of the bed and the middle rows of the bed with more seed placed
on the outside rows in a 60/40 split. This This may vary from site
to site depending on the growers' experience and the intended market.
The
use of cover crops is wide spread, with either barley or mustards
used to prevent sand blow. These are usually drilled with the carrot
seed depending on the potential risk of blowing.
Once
drilled, conditions for rapid germination are required, this will
often mean that there will be a requirement for irrigation or even
better a shower of rain.
Irrigation
Carrots
are a crop where irrigation is essential for maximum yield and quality.
When you consider the soil type that carrots are grown in and the
sheer weight of yield that is grown per hectare it is not difficult
to see they have such high water requirements.
Application is usually overhead via hose reels, pivots and sprinkler
lines. With the increased cost of water and energy, monitoring systems
are essential.
Harvesting
There
are two basic harvesting systems in use, which have their different
merits based on the crop and the time of year.
Top
lifters are used in the early part of the season when the foliage
is strong and the carrots are very prone to breakages. They simply
undercut and lift out the carrots by the foliage, which is then cut
as it reaches the loading belt. During the summer this operation usually
takes place at night avoiding the heat of the day and the carrots
are lifted just prior to washing.
Share
Harvesters are used once the foliage is not strong enough to hold
the carrot and as soon as the roots are strong enough to take the
agitation of the web.
New
ways to use carrots
Steamed,
boiled, roasted, stir-fried, braised, microwaved - carrots have so
many different flavours, depending on how they are prepared. Used
in both sweet and savoury dishes, the humble carrot can give a salad
that extra crunch, or provide a melt-in-the-mouth sweetness giving
depth to any meat dish.
Carrots
are available all year round and are one of the most versatile vegetables.
They are also packed full of nutrients and vitamins - one of the reasons
they're such a popular ingredient for juicing. They have one of the
highest sugar contents of all vegetables which is why they are used
for cakes and puddings.
We're
all familiar with steamed or boiled carrots as an accompaniment, or
as an essential addition to any stock, soup or casserole base, but
why not try some new ways with carrots?
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Roast
carrots in a little olive oil (parboil larger ones) either on
their own or around a joint of meat - add herbs such as thyme
or rosemary and crushed garlic for extra flavour.
Toss
some carrot batons in olive oil and cook on a griddle until
tender.
Microwave
with a little orange juice to give delicious crunchy carrots
with a citrus twist.
Puree
cooked carrots with a little butter for a sophisticated splash
of colour on your plate.
Stir-fry
carrots with a selection of other crunchy vegetables to add
colour and texture to oriental dishes..
Cut
carrots into batons and serve as crudités with dips as
a healthy alternative to crisps - also great for picnics and
kid's lunch boxes.
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Creative
ways with carrots
Citrus:
Not only are oranges the perfect colour match for carrots,
but the citrus really brings out the sweet flavour of carrots.
Simmer carrots until tender then drain and toss in a pan with
some butter, sugar to taste and lemon or orange juice for
delicious citrus glazed carrots. Or dress grated raw carrot
with olive oil and either orange or lemon juice, top with
a few toasted almonds for a simple side salad.
Dill:
A delicious seasoning for cooked carrots.
Ginger:
Add some fresh ginger to carrots when juicing for a great
cleansing juice with a kick. Or try cooking the carrots in
a little ginger beer for an unusual twist on boiled carrots.
Honey:
A delicious and healthy glaze for carrots.
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Caraway
seeds:
Toss some cooked carrots in butter and sprinkle with caraway
seeds.
Maple
Syrup:
Drizzle over roasted carrots five minutes before the end of
their cooking time to accentuate their sweetness.
Mint:
Add to carrots in salad or in a chilled soup for a refreshing
taste
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Information
courtesy of
www.britishcarrots.co.uk
