CARROTSCARROTS

Stacey Lambert

Description

• Orange, white, yellow, red, or purple.

• Thick, fleshy, deeply colored root.

• Grow underground.

• Feathery leaves that emerge above ground.

Description

• Carrots can be as small as two inches or as long as three feet.

• There are over 100 different varieties.

(whfoods, March 7, 2006)

History

• Cultivated in central Asian and middle eastern countries.

• Further cultivated and developed in Afghanistan.

• Spread through Mediterranean, used by Greeks for medical use.

History

• 17th century-Europeans cultivated different varieties of carrots.

• 1800s-North American colonies were introduced to carrots.

-Became 1st vegetable to be canned.

• Today-France, England, Poland, china, and Japan are the largest producers of carrots.

(whfoods, March 7, 2006)

Consumption

• Use of fresh market carrots totaled 10.2 lbs. per person in 1996 (up 23% since 1990).

• Use of carrots for freezing totaled 2.8 lbs. per person in 1996 ( up 22% since 1990).

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AgOutlook/nov1997/ao246c.pdf

(Agricultural Outlook, Nov. 1997)

Nutrients

Potassium- 177mg. Beta-carotene-19,152IU

Sodium- 51.5 mg. Vitamin C- 1.8mg.

Calcium- 24mg. Niacin- .4mg.

Phosphorus- 23.4mg. Folate- 11mcg.

Magnesium- 10mg. Pantothenic Acid- .2mg.

Iron- .48mg.

(Health Alternatives, 2000)

Nutrients

(beta caroteen)

How to Prepare Carrots

• Wash carrot roots by scrubbing with a vegetable brush.

• Peeling is unnecessary unless the carrots are old, thick or not grown organically.

• Cut the stem if it is green.

How to Prepare Carrots

• Carrots can be eaten raw, or cooked, chopped or shredded.

http://hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?id=873&hlite=true&querytext=carrots#preparation

(whfoods, March 7, 2006)

Recipes

• Use of fresh market carrots totaled 10.2 lbs. per person in 1996 (up 23% since 1990).

• Use of carrots for freezing totaled 2.8 lbs. per person in 1996 ( up 22% since 1990).

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AgOutlook/nov1997/ao246c.pdf

(Agricultural Outlook, Nov. 1997)

Health Benefits

• Antioxidant compounds

-protects against cardiovascular disease and cancer

-promotes good vision, especially night vision

http://healthalternatives2000.com/vegchart.htm

(whfoods, March 7, 2006)

Powers

• Greeks used carrots as a love potion

• The Roman emperor believed the Greek story of the love potion.

• He forced the entire Senate to eat carrots so he could see them “in rut like wild beasts”.

Powers

• European doctors prescribed carrots for everything from sexual maladies to snake bite.

• The British Royal Air Force were fed carrots to improve their night vision. They believe it enabled them to hide their radar from the Germans in WWII.

http://www.soupsong.com/fcarrot.html

Bibliography

Agricultural Outlook. November 1997. Economic Research Service/USDA. Retrieved on March 7, 2006 from website:

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publicoptions/AgOutlook/nov1997/ao246c.pdf.

All About Carrots. Hormel Foods. Retrieved on March 9, 2006 form website: http://hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?id=873&hlite=true&querytext=carrots.

Carrots (Daucus Carota). Retrieved on March 9, 2006 from website: http://www.soupsongcom/fcarrot.html

Carrot Recipes. Abigail Gordon. Retrieved on March 7, 2006 from website: http://www.geocities.com/green_cache/carrot_recipes.html

Health Alternatives 2000. Dr. Decuypere. 2000. Retrieved on March 9, 2006 from website: http://healthalternatives2000.com/vegchart.html

The World’s Healthiest Foods. Retrieved on March 7, 2006 from website: http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?pfriendly=1&tname=foodspice&dbid=21