My Favorite Heirloom Carrots (so far) to Grow from Seed: Parisienne

A Handful of Harvested Carrots on July 11th, 2009

Realization of the Day:

I never shared the final results of last year's carrot growing adventures (which I wrote about here and here)—mostly because they were so disappointing.

The short version (because I'll probably never get around to posting the long version) is I've decided that, for me, growing carrots from seed isn't worth the effort—at least right now. I did learn a lot about growing them, though.

We eat a lot of raw organic carrots around here, and the ones I can buy year round for less than a dollar a pound actually taste better than most of the carrots I managed to grow last year—which was a surprising discovery since most homegrown vegetables taste so much better than storebought.

Granted, they're packaged in annoying plastic bags and are grown in some other state and then trucked to Missouri, but there's always a give and take when it comes to what we choose to buy and eat. We raise so much of our own food that I don't feel too bad about buying bagged carrots, and at least they're organically grown.

That said, I haven't completely given up on homegrown carrots. And when I do try them again (who knows, maybe even this fall—I have huge plans for a fall garden since at this point the spring garden is pretty pathetic), I'll definitely be growing Parisiennes.

I'm a Sucker for Cute—and not Just Baby Animals

I bought my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and according to their catalog, Parisiennes (which they offered for the first time in 2009) are small, round carrots that are so popular in France. Tender, orange globes are superb lightly steamed. Easy to grow even in heavy soils. This little carrot is great for home and market gardens, as this variety is fairly uniform.

Mine had a nice, sweet flavor, and of course there's the fact that they're adorable. They make a fun addition to a crudite platter, and would probably be a big hit with kids. Someday I'll get around to making pickled carrots, and I bet these little babies would be perfect. Wouldn't a jar of them make a beautiful gift?

The Pinetree Garden Seeds catalog lists a similar sounding variety of carrot called Thumbelina SG:

A round Paris Market-type carrot, Thumbelina was an All America Award winner for 1992. It's an improvement over older round varieties in the smoothness of the skin (important because you don't want to peel them). Another virtue is that they will do well in heavy, rocky soil. The flavor is very good at the 1-inch size but is retained up to golf ball size.

Because they're so small, they also have a shorter growing season than many other carrot varieties, which is always helpful.

So how about you? Did your carrot crop do well last year? Are you growing carrots this year? Any successes, failures, or other words of carrot wisdom to share?

Related posts (lots of helpful info in the comments sections):

6/6/09: Growing and Thinning (and Weeding!) Heirloom Carrots

6/12/09: Bigger Red and Orange Baby Carrots

Recipe: Carrot Herb Rolls (and a beautiful bargain bread book for beginners)

© Copyright 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the crunch and munch foodie farm blog where our donkeys love organic carrots even more than we do—and can gobble up a pound of them in seconds flat.