Carrots are weird. Why? Well, because there are more than 100 different types of carrots, they are full of water, they are able to survive the winter, they can become sweet, they turn you orange, there is a museum dedicated to them and baby carrots are fake.

Carrots are not only orange, but also red, purple, white and yellow. Most people never know that, due to various pigments, the carrots can appear different colors. There are also 100 different species of carrots. Some include the Peruvian carrot, the Sea Carrot, Queen Ann’s Lace (a wild carrot), and a carrot tree native to Madeira, Propagule.

Carrots are 88 percent water, and humans are only 60 percent water. This means that carrots are the 13th most water-filled foods.

Carrots can also have a soap-like taste. According to www.thekitchen.com, “That off-tasting soapiness in carrots comes from a high concentration of a volatile compound known as terpenoids.”

It is not harmful and can occur from the type of carrot, poor growing conditions, being harvested too soon and how you store the carrot.

Did you know that carrots can also survive in the ground all winter? They can, and when they are left in the ground, they become sweeter throughout the winter. “Carrots have developed the physiological response of increasing their sugar content when it’s cold outside. This helps stop ice crystal formations and prevents damage to the carrot’s cell,” the website www.thekidshouldseethis.com stated.

Carrots also contain 2.9 grams of sugar. They have more sugar than any other vegetable in the world, second only to beets when taking into consideration that tomatoes are fruits.

Carrots can also turn your skin orange; it is known as carotenemia.

According to www.theClevlandClinic.org, “The excess beta-carotenes in your blood latch onto areas of the body that have thicker skin, like the palms, soles, knees, elbows and folds around the nose… These are the first areas that people typically notice turning an orange shade. And it can be more obvious in lighter-skinned people. Skin discoloration will continue to darken as you eat more beta-carotene rich foods.” It is not dangerous, but only means that you should consider eating a more well-balanced diet and lay off the high beta-carotenes foods.

The final reason I believe that carrots are weird is that baby carrots are fake and not really a type of carrot. Baby carrots are made from normal carrots; they are just cut and shaved down to get the little “baby” size. The carrots are then put in icy water of 37 degrees to prevent spoiling, then cut into two-inch sections, put into peeling tanks to peel and polish off the rough edges and then treated with a light chlorine solution; the excess chlorine is washed off with water and then sent off to be packaged and sold.

In Cross Hills, United Kingdom, lies the World Carrot Museum. It is dedicated to everything carrots. They cover things, such as but not limited to, carrots in history, nutrition, fun facts, how to grow, world records, recipes and even carrot musicians. If you are interested in checking out the World Carrot Museum, the link to their website is: http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/

I believe that carrots are weird for many reasons, but these are the most compelling.

23rfairbank@usd489.com

For more information:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-eating-too-many-carrots-turn-your-skin-orange/

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/why-do-carrots-taste-sweeter-in-the-winter

https://www.thekitchn.com/this-is-why-some-carrots-taste-soapy-222090

https://www.google.com/search?q=sugar+in+vegetables+chart&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS863US863&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi62p310PnlAhVijK0KHeW4BYgQ_AUoAXoECA0QAw&biw=1366&bih=657#imgrc=vnxtsgqWn59HxM:

https://www.foodrepublic.com/2014/11/24/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-carrots/

http://www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-facts/carrot-facts/

Interesting facts about carrots

http://www.wafarmtoschool.org/ToolKit/16/carrots/Facts