Daucus carota is the scientific name of carrots. Carrots contain an impressive selection of phytochemicals, including carotenoids, anthocyanins, and other phenolic compounds that’s why it is good source of dietary antioxidants. There are different cultivators i.e. white, purple, orange, and red.
47 Crazy Facts about Carrots
1. Carrots were first grown as a medicine, rather than being used as a vegetable.
2. Baby carrots are not a type of carrot. It was started by Mike Yurosek, a California based farmer who did not want to keep throwing out imperfect carrots. He started cutting and peeling the vegetables to make them appear perfect.
3. Carrots contain 88% water.
4.Carrots are a rich source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene get converted in vitamin A in human body.
5. Cooked carrots are better than raw. Cooking the vegetable releases more beta-carotene. The raw vegetable only gives you 3% beta-carotene, but cooked will get up to 40%.
6. Carrots are not grown from seeds. Carrots are harvested from tiny white flowers.
7. Approximately the U.S grows 1.3 million of carrots and other root vegetables per year.
8. Places like Washington, Florida, Colorado, Wisconsin, Texas, and California grow 94% of the total American carrots.
9. 85% carrots of U.S are grown in California.
10. Potatoes are the first most popular vegetable and carrots are the second most popular vegetable.
11. Carrot seeds are so tiny that we can put about 2000 seeds in a tea spoon.
12. Carrots were first cultivated In Afghanistan.
13. Sucrose, glucose, xylose and fructose are the type of sugars present in the carrot.
14. Carrots are one of the excellent plants for pollinators.
15. In winter, carrots can be left in the ground.
16. The longest carrot ever grown in history is measured around 6 meters long.
17. Approximately, world wide production of carrots are 40 million ton per year.
18. Leaf blight is the most devastating disease that carrots can suffer from.
19. Parasites and fungi can infect the carrots.
20. Carrot fly is a common pest for carrots.
21. Carrots can also develop physical deformities.
22. Carrots grow best if grown with specific crops.
23. There are several kinds of the western carrot. Some types of carrot do not provide good nutrition.
Read also – 20 Fun and Informative Facts about Mangoes
24.Carrots have many requirements when it comes to long-term storage.
25. Carrots are also used to make mirepoix.
26.Not only the roots of carrots are edible, but other parts like leaves, flowers are also edible.
27. Carrots can cause allergies in some people.
28. Though it is not a fruit but still it holds the capacity to fulfill fruit like roles, rather than vegetable like roles.
29. Carrots can cause certain side effects if we eat too many carrots.
30. Oil can be extracted from the carrot seeds.
31. Carrots do not help to see better in the dark.
32.Carrots can be used as a fruit instead of vegetables.
33.Carrots are widely used in India for different recipes like carrot halwa, carrot salad, etc.
34. Common way of preparing carrot is julienne.
35. To store water for a long time, carrots need several requirements.
36. White and wild carrots contain less Vitamin E.
37. Eastern carrot comes in different colours like violet and yellow, and it is the same as the actual vegetable, and different colours are superficial.
38. Physical deformities are also developed by carrots.
39. Typically carrots grow between 1 to 10 cm.
40. They grow to usual length of 10 to 25 cm.
41. China provides upto 45% of carrots per year.
42. The name carrot originated from the Indo-European term ker, it means horn. Then it evolved into the Greek word karoton, referring to the vegetable’s horn-like shape. After that, the term evolved into the Late Latin word carota, after it evolved into the Middle French carrote. At last, carrote gave way to the modern English word of carrot.
43. Carrots grow in 4 months.
44. Carrots can be harvested within 3 months by the most modern commercial form.
45. Carrots are grown best in Sandy and loamy soil. It requires 6.3 pH.
46. Typically fertilizers are not used for growing carrots.
47. Basically, carrots develop best in soil with a low level of nitrates. For more effective results, farmers also regulate soil phosphate levels, while keeping soil potash high, in overly-rich soil carrots tend to become hairy, because of that their market value gets decreased.
Carrots are having so many benefits but it also can cause allergies and side effects if it is consumed more than needed.
Read also – 18 Facts about the Indian Renaissance