Purple carrots are winners
Much ado is being made of the
”
new
”
purple carrot called
”
Purple Haze.
”
This beauty is showing up in some farmer’s markets and should be
a huge hit in the fall-planted garden.
But there is nothing
”
new
”
about the color purple, despite the hype.
Purple carrots are winners
Much ado is being made of the “new” purple carrot called “Purple Haze.” This beauty is showing up in some farmer’s markets and should be a huge hit in the fall-planted garden.
But there is nothing “new” about the color purple, despite the hype.
Although many of us expect carrots to be orange, purple carrots have been around for centuries and have been commonly grown in the Middle East, particularly Afghanistan.
Carrots of any color are easily grown in our region during the fall-winter season. Started from seed sown directly into the garden, carrots like deep. rich soil that is free of rocks and clods of dirt. If your growing bed is not perfect, try sowing carrots into a deep container or half barrel.
The thing that makes Purple Haze noteworthy is that it is the first imperator-shaped purple carrot. That means it is 10 to 12 inches long and slim, tapering to a point. Beyond its shape, the color is everything. Think of Purple Haze as a two-toned carrot – purple along the outside edge like a halo or haze, but orange in the center.
If looks aren’t captivating enough, consider the taste. Named as an All-America Selections winner for 2006, judges said they were impressed by the sweet taste of Purple Haze.
Chefs are always looking for something unusual to add zest to a meal. Can you imagine serving raw chunks of this purple and orange carrot along with various colored radishes and other interesting finger foods? When cooked in water, the purple color fades.
Carrots, purple and otherwise, are an easy-to-grow root vegetable for the fall-winter garden. Cooler weather aids their growth and their sweet, crunchy taste. Carrots don’t do well in hot summer gardens.
What to do: Sow seeds is loose, compost-rich soil. Place seeds 1/2 inch deep and cover with soil. Seeds should germinate in two to three weeks. Thin seedlings to 2 inches apart.
Why do carrots fail? Blame our heavy soil. The soil needs to be very deep and loose with good drainage to grow a 12-inch-long carrot.
The solution, then, is to sow carrots in a container or half-barrel. Use the same growing instructions but water more often because soil in a container dries out more rapidly.
It takes about 70 days from sowing to harvest.
You may find “Purple Haze” carrot seeds on some local seed racks. Other sources are Johnny’s Selected Seeds, 877-564-6687 by phone or www.johnnyseeds.com online; and Territorial Seed Company, 800-626-0866 by phone or www.territorialseed.com online.
So, if historically carrots started out purple, how did we end up with all these orange carrots? It was political (isn’t everything?). Carrots became orange about 400 years ago when farmers in The Netherlands produced orange carrots from yellow and red ones in honor of their national color and the House of Orange.
Plant a Row for the Hungry: With backyard gardens producing their heavy fall crop, Plant a Row for the Hungry gardeners shared 2,010 pounds of produce with Community Pantry this past week. That brings to total to 12,068 pounds donated to the food assistance program that helps those in our community that need it most.
“This was a good week and this amount of fresh food is hugely welcome to add to the food bags we distribute each week,” says Mary Anne Hughes, Pantry director.
If you have garden surplus to share, the Pantry is located at 30 Airport Ave., Hollister. For more information, call 637-0340.
A Reader Wants to Know: I have a little Fuji apple tree and it had exactly six apples this year. I got two and the squirrels got the rest. I could see through a window as a squirrel surveyed that tree, and then just reached out and snatched one. Any foolproof tips on squirrel control?
Joan Says: If you could figure out a foolproof way to outwit squirrels, I can guarantee you’d be the next millionaire in Hollister. Squirrels are sneaky, fast, and persistent. You could cover the tree with netting. You could install a motion-activated sprinkler element that turns on and squirts water when something moves. That doesn’t work very well if you have a dog or cat in your yard, or you forget and walk out there to pick an apple. I figure sharing my apples with the squirrels is just part of growing fruit in our area. You might just resign yourself to sharing.
However, I’d welcome comments from readers who have actually conquered this squirrel problem.
