Monday, June 24, 2013

A Carrot Rainbow! Orange, White, and Purple or "Black" Carrots

Look what I picked up at the farmer's market this week! A bunch of multi-colored carrots!

white carrots and purple carrots (black carrots)

They looked so pretty that I just had to buy them! The lighting in this picture doesn't do them justice. The purple carrots are rich and dark, almost black once they are washed as you will see in the next pictures (which is why they are sometimes called black carrots).

I was most curious about these purple/black carrots. I know that brightly and richly colored vegetables contain lots of nutrients and it is good to eat a variety of colors. You can read more about the health benefits and nutritional profile of carrots here: WHF: Carrots.

When I cut into a purple carrot, I saw this:

black carrots, purple carrots

Beautiful! Some of them are bright orange on the inside while others are pale yellow. Similar to purple green beans, the purple fades when these are tossed in a stew. The carrots then become orange with hints of purple. I am going to try steaming them lightly to see if more of the color stays.

Peeled and trimmed, this rainbow of carrots looks appetizing and unique:

black carrots, white carrots

Cut them into sticks for the kids, and they will gobble them up!

purple carrots, black carrots, white carrots

The purple color does sort of bleed when you cut them, getting on your knife and cutting board.

The white carrots taste almost identical to the orange ones, but the purple ones have a different taste... a depth of flavor, a little more earthy, perhaps. I liked them all! I chunked them up and put them in a beef stew, and everyone thought the white carrot chunks were potato. So if you are trying to cut carbs, try substituting white carrot chunks for potatoes in your stew! You may fool everyone!

Enjoy your carrots... cooked or raw, purple, white, and orange!


Anonymous said...

Those are gorgeous. I like carrots cut into coins and steamed, topped with coconut oil and pepper. Mmmmm!

Tiffany said...

Soooo pretty!

Steelers6 said...

The things I learn on this blog!!

w0rld4vamps said...

I've never tried colored carrots. Awesome!

Kaki said...

Purple carrots are new to me! They are very pretty! I only like my carrots cooked...I wonder if they maintain their color? Maybe I'll do an experiment :)

Sunnydaze said...

Thanks for sharing this. I'm always intrigued by odd vegetables but always afraid to try. Helps to hear it from someone first-hand. Now I won't be afraid of purple and white carrots. :)

Anonymous said...

Purple carrots are their normal color, actually. They were phased out and orange became the norm. I think the purple ones are very cool.

Anonymous said...

here's a quick history of carrots - purple to orange...