Key information

Colour: Most commonly orange, but there are also yellow, red and purple varieties.

In season: All year.

Power to perform: Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, which gives them their distinctive orange colour. Our bodies digest beta-carotene into vitamin A, an essential nutrient for eye health and fighting infection. 
 
Grow me: Carrots grow well from seed and like sunny spots with light well-drained soil. They are drought-resistant which means they don’t need to be watered often. With a wide variety of carrots available, it’s possible to grow and harvest these veggies all year! 

Did you know?

• Carrots are great for supporting eye health thanks to their vitamin A content, but they won’t necessarily help you see better in the dark. This myth originated in the UK during WWII. The British Air Ministry wanted to hide that they were using radar to intercept German bombers during night raids, so they issued a press release saying their pilots could see so well in the dark due to eating carrots! 
• Aldi's Kevin the Carrot has become a Christmas favourite since he first hit the small screen in 2016, but did you know that two of Kevin's children are named after different types of carrot? 'Chantenay' carrots are short and thick, great for growing in cool weather, heavy soil or containers, whereas 'Baby' carrots are carrots harvested (picked) before they are fully grown for their small, snackable shape.
• The first carrots were grown in Afghanistan and were yellow or purple, not orange! 

Ideas garden

Remember to ask an adult's permission before experimenting with any carrot ideas!

Get creative

If you’ve ever seen a certain cartoon bunny munching on his favourite snack, you’ll know carrots are harvested with luscious green leaves that are often missing in the supermarket. So, what’s up with carrot tops? 
 
Nothing! Carrot tops contain lots of vitamin A and have a unique flavour, a combination of parsley and carrot. They are great in pesto, salads and as a garnish for your meals. Even better news is that you can easily regrow these greens at home with your leftover carrot cuttings. 
 
After chopping your carrots for your meal, keep the discarded tops. Fill a shallow container with water and place the tops in the water, making sure they are covered but not submerged. Place the container of tops in a sunny spot for a week or two, topping up the water as needed. The tops will start sprouting new green leaves after a few days.  
 
When they have long stems, they are ready to be planted into soil and you have a new supply of flavour to experiment with! 

Get cooking

Carrots have an earthy sweet flavour that works well in both savoury and sweet recipes, like this healthy carrot cake smoothie! 
  
They are versatile and can be eaten raw in an Asian-inspired salad or poke bowl – or bring them to life in a curry roasted vegetable dish. For a vegetarian spin on traditional BBQ burgers, why not try these delicious carrot burgers? 

Ask an adult to share your carrot creativity with us on social media using #GetSetEatFresh or by uploading a showcase on the Get Set to Eat Fresh community page.