[Sca-cooks] Carrots in period

[Stefan li Rous]

Tahira asked:
<<< A friend and i were having a discussion regarding modern orange carrots and whether or not they were period. Can anyone please enlighten me? >>>

Yes, the orange carrot is period. There may have been an earlier orange carrot, but the one that became so popular as to pretty much drive the others out of cultivation was the sweet orange carrot that appears to be a late-period hybrid by the Dutch. It was most likely due to its sweeter taste than the color itself.

Somebody mentioned the carrot museum. That is probably the most comprehensive source.

There is also this Florilegium file in the FOOD-VEGETABLES section:

carrots-msg (61K) 6/12/10 Medieval and period carrots. Colors.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-VEGETABLES/carrots-msg.html

One of my nephews got for Christmas a plant root toy/aquarium. Sort of like the ant farm I remember from being a kid with plastic sides except you watch the carrots, onions and radishes grow rather than the ants. It came with packets of seeds for each type of vegetable. Until that point I didn't realize that carrots generated seeds. I thought they only grew by sprouting from roots. I remember in school cutting off the carrot top and putting it in water to grow. Always something new to learn. :-)

Stefan
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THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****