Orange is the new carrot

AUSTRALIA’S MOST FREQUENTLY PURCHASED ROOT VEGETABLE WASN’T ALWAYS THIS COLOUR AND NOW HEIRLOOM VARIETIES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK

Chloe Thomson

According to archaeological evidence, wild carrots grew over 5000 years ago when they were probably a popular foraging food with small, thin spindly roots below ground and tall, vigorous greens above. The tap roots of the wild carrots would have been purple, red, white or yellow. By comparison, orange carrots are a relatively new creation. By the 17th century, images of orange carrots begin to appear in paintings of markets and domestic life in Spain and the Netherlands. Some say this preference for orange came from selective breeding for sweetness, which in turn raised the beta-carotene levels in the root and therefore the colour shift to bright orange. Others believe Dutch prince William of Orange had a part to play because in the 1570s he led the Protestant revolt against…

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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 15.4

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