Enjoy the bountiful benefits of rainbow carrots from Baywater Farms!
Like many, you might have grown up seeing and eating orange carrots, orange being the only color they ever had. Today, you might see some more unusual carrots, ones that are purple, white, yellow, and red. Are they new? Actually, these carrot colors span millennia. Below, you can learn all about rainbow carrots, including how you can enjoy them and where to find them.
What Are Rainbow Carrots?
Rainbow carrots are a variety of carrots that come in different colors. Rainbow is also the name of a carrot variety, a hybrid that combines multiple carrot varieties so that individual carrots grow into different colors. As mentioned above, their colors are white, yellow, orange, red, purple, and black.
What’s the History of Rainbow Carrots?
Carrots go back to ancient times; like other vegetables, they have always been there in some form or another. In ancient Egypt and Rome, they appear to have been only purple. They may even have originated in Asia. It is generally agreed that around 3,000 B.C., carrots grew in the Iranian Plateau, seen in the areas covering Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan.
In the 16th century, the Dutch propagated the orange carrot from red and yellow carrots, the colors of which are probably genetic mutations. The Dutch might have created the orange carrot for flavor reasons or to honor William of Orange.
Do All Carrots Taste the Same?
Actually, different-colored carrots do vary in taste. The white carrots are mild and sweet, while purple and black carrots are sweet and have almost a peppery or spicy taste. Orange carrots have a balance of sweetness without the mildness or spiciness. All in all, you might not notice a terribly drastic difference between different carrot varieties.
Nutritional Benefits of Rainbow Carrots
Just as you can have a range of colors with rainbow carrots, you can have a range of rich nutrients, too.
White carrots have a bounty of fiber, which helps to maintain your weight, improves gut health, and lowers the risk of heart disease and cancer.
Yellow, orange, and red carrots all have some form of carotene, which helps to promote healthy eyesight and a healthy heart.
Purple and black carrots are actually orange inside, but their dark coating contains antioxidants, which promote cell health and preserve your body from many diseases.
How to Serve Rainbow Carrots
You can bake, roast, braise, boil, and cook carrots; there are many ways to incorporate them into your meals. Combine them with a roast, or mix them with other root vegetables like turnips, potatoes, and radishes.
Where to Find Rainbow Carrots in Maryland
Baywater Farms grows rainbow carrots, root vegetables, leafy greens, and heirloom varieties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, distributing the fresh produce to groceries, wholesale produce suppliers, restaurants, and more.
BAYWATER FARMS HAS THE RIGHT PRODUCE FOR YOU
Baywater Farms is a family-owned and operated farm servicing Baltimore, Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware beaches, and the Eastern Shore. We are capable of meeting the demands of your produce distributor, restaurant produce supplier, CSA produce supplier, or wholesale produce supplier while maintaining the integrity and character of a small farm. When you work with Baywater Farms, you work with an experienced, ethical, and local farm dedicated to providing the highest-quality heirloom produce.