Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Orbits, Oxhearts & Little Finger Carrots

In spite of gloves and a warm sweater, I shivered as I harvested the last of the carrots. It's been near freezing at night for over a month, now, though a deep layer of mulch keeps my little, round carrots toasty warm.

In spring, I planted heirloom Oxhearts. (They look like golf balls.) In July, I planted Orbits (smaller, like gum balls.) The Orbits ~ which mature in about 60 days ~ are really fun to grow. This winter, I'm planting Little Fingers: super sweet mini carrots for indoor window containers.

My audience is not fiercely opinionated on what makes the perfect carrot, though they think you're nuts if you chop the tops off.
I hate carrots. Strange, but true. I've tried them raw, baked, broiled, steamed, buried under a mountain of brown sugar. Nothing snapped my socks.

Daughter, L, recently demanded to know how she could have sat at our dinner table for 18 long years and never been served a carrot. As an adult she's tasted carrots in all sorts of delightful dishes and she loves 'em. Which has me wondering if a switcheroo did, indeed, happen at the hospital way back when.

* The smaller the tastier when it comes to carrots.
* They'll keep forever in the fridge with adequate moisture. Try wrapping store bought carrots in a damp paper towel, then store in a ziploc bag.
* If you, like me, are too often served carrots, ask for a pony for your birthday.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great picture of the big boys. Can I get a copy of that? - J

Anonymous said...

PS: Do the round ones taste better?

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

J: Couldn't say about the taste thing. I like the round ones because they better fit in my pockets when I'm wrangling your horses. As in stealing them for the afternoon when I know you're at work! :D

Liz said...

Love your blog! Gardening for cold weather info is great for my dad who lives in CO. He's only been there a few years, still on the learning curve. I would like to follow your blog as well as link it to my own blog about gardening in PA. Best wishes! Liz

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Thanks, Liz. That's very kind of you to say. Always great to meet a new gardener! I'll visit your blog.