Purple Carrots!

[pambelina79]

Has anyone heard of Purple Haze carrots? What makes the carrots purple? Are they chemically produced or something?

Has anyone grown them and are they easy to grow?

Merry Xmas

[hawthorns]

im growing them this spring

[Alison]

The original carrots were purple, according to the HSL catalogue they first originated in Afghanistan and it is thought that Egyptian temple painting dating back 4000 years also show purple roots. You grow them exactly the same as the orange ones (which were developed by Dutch grower to produce an orange carrot in homage to the Dutch Royal Family, the House of Orange) and I think they're really rather fab. They taste a bit nuttier than some to me and look really good on the plate. The only problem I have with them is that when I steam them, they drop purple colour into the pan of spuds below which makes an interesting looking mash......

[Beetroot Bob]

I haven't grown them yet !! But they are on order.

They are not chemically produced as far as I know. Carrots were orignially purple until they were bred to be orange by the Duch(??)

[pambelina79]

I was going to put the seeds in, in Jan and bring them on inside. Is that a really bad idea?

[Two_Sheds]

You can't transplant carrots Pambelina .. they have a tap root (well, they ARE a tap root) and can't be disturbed.
What you can do is grow them in toilet rolls, and plant the whole thing out. Even so, it is still too early for carrots, which need warmish soil.

I grow Purple Haze, they're good big carrots and less prone to carrot root fly. Incidentally they are orange on the inside.

[Snadger]

I haven't grown them yet !! But they are on order.

They are not chemically produced as far as I know. Carrots were orignially purple until they were bred to be orange by the Duch(??)

Is that why the Dutch have an orange football strip?

[Snadger]

Do they have the same amount of beta carotene I wonder?

[pambelina79]

Thanks for the advice on not transplanting, and not planting too early.
I looked at different pics of the purple carrot and they appear to be purple inside too.

Cheers two Sheds

[pambelina79]

I know this is a carrot thread but I also got some purple cauliflower seeds, does anyone know anything about them. I just thought that purple carrots and cauliflowers would be quite cool especially if I invite somes friend over for dinner.

[Suechooks]

I know this is a carrot thread but I also got some purple cauliflower seeds, does anyone know anything about them. I just thought that purple carrots and cauliflowers would be quite cool especially if I invite somes friend over for dinner.

I grew purple caulis a couple of years ago. They're sort of reddish purple. You can get orange and green caulis as well! They taste slightly different from the white ones and yes they do look cool on the plate!!

[Two_Sheds]

I looked at different pics of the purple carrot and they appear to be purple inside too.

I'm looking at a real Purple Haze carrot, not a picture, and it is orange inside
With nearly all purple veg, they tend to go grey when you boil them. Adding a splash of vinegar might help to retain some colour ...?

[Alison]

Purple Haze are defo orange inside but the two colours stay true when they are steamed. Purple caulis loose their colour when cooked though which is a shame.

[plantsbypost.com]

The advice for purple cauliflowers is to add a splash of lemon juice to the water when cooking as it helps to retain some of the colour.

Regards

Neil

[pambelina79]

Does anyone know when the earlist time is for planting these cauliflowers ?