I pulled this out of the garden the other day. It is, quite possibly, the most colossal carrot I have ever seen, much less grown!
I didn’t think it was any different from the other carrots I’d harvested that day. Its leaves were average size, it was nestled in between other average-sized carrots, but it did take a few tries to yank it from the ground.
It was a pure comedic moment: I called my guy over to help, he pulled with all his might, and it suddenly sprang from the soil and sent him reeling back. But miraculously, we harvested the whole thing in one piece!
I think this is a Chantenay Red Core carrot, as that variety tends to grow large and squat, though the color is lighter than a standard Chantenay Red Core. It has so much girth that I can’t even wrap my whole hand around it!
I’ve already eaten the leaves in a salad, but I’m saving the carrot for something special. I’m dreaming up a carrot and cardamom recipe before I take a cleaver to it this week, so stay tuned!
3 Comments
Minirose
January 12, 2013 at 1:35 pmVery cool! Thanks for sharing!
cityslipper
February 8, 2012 at 2:40 pmLovely! I’m jealous that you’re harvesting now as the third snowfall of the season blankets my garden.
Our farmers’ markets often sell enormous carrots–only five or six fit into a half peck basket, and they protrude four or more inches above the lip, making them 10 to 14 inches long! I often get enough slices from just one of these carrots to serve five people at a meal. Last year I planted a variety that claimed to grow to such sizes, but the largest ones weren’t impressive. I’m going to give it another try this year–last year was about the worst growing season of my entire gardening career.
Linda Ly
February 9, 2012 at 6:48 pmI don’t know what I’d even do with a 14-inch carrot! (And that sounds like a lot of digging to get it out!) Do you remember what the name of that variety is?