I can See you in the Dark (Carrots)

Member Name: vinodgm

Product:	Carrots
Date:	17/09/01 (576 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very healthy and high in Vit A, Tasty

Disadvantages: A bit complicated to grow

There are two things that everyone knows about carrots. They are orange and they help prevent night blindness because they are full of vitamin C.
Both of these facts are technically incorrect.

Carrots were formerly in colours of red, black, yellow, white and more commonly purple. It was only in the Middle Ages that the Dutch developed the orange carrot that we now know. They also contain only a small amount of Vitamin C equivalent to only about 10% of recommended daily allowance. The main vitamin in the carrot is Vitamin A.

Carrots are ideal for those intending to lose weight and also those who are health conscious. They are very easily eaten and tasty in its raw form.

No doubt the high quantities of Vitamin A found in carrots do help the eyes. However the area of the eye that gains most from Vitamin A is the retina. This subsequently helps your night vision but not so drastically that you could see like a cat in the dark.

In the olden days the theory was that carrots could quite literally make you see in the dark. One of the stories associated with this was that during the Second World War, the British Royal Air Force bragged that the British fighter pilots did not need to use radars and the reason for there great success and accuracy at night was a direct result of them eating huge quantities of carrots. The Germans bought this story that the British were not indeed using Radars and subsequently ordered huge amounts of carrots be harvested and fed to there pilots aswell.

The nutritional value of a one medium size carrot is as follows:

Calories 35
Calories from Fat 0 %
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 40mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fibre 2g 8%
Sugars 5g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 270%
Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 2%
Iron 0%

The above Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

As you
can clearly see the Vitamin A content is 270% of the recommended daily allowance. Further the fat content is totally no existent making it a great favourite for the health conscious individual.

I had written several opinions on other things like Potatoes and was asked several times to include something about growing them in my opinion.

So here it is:

Planting:
Prior to planting, work the soil well, adding liberal amounts of compost.
Carrot seeds are amongst the smallest of seeds and are very difficult to space. Sow them very thinly, about 1/4 inch deep. Cover them with a fine garden soil. top of the soil and Space rows 1 to 1 1/2 feet apart.

Taking Care
Keep carrots well weeded early in the season and until there leaves grow to several inches.
Provide a good supply of water and apply fertilizer a couple of times during the season.

Days to Grow
Approximately 70 days.

Harvesting:
Begin to harvest carrots when they are small in size and thinning the row as you harvest. Once you begin picking, you can harvest as needed. Don’t be worried if the top plants have died off. The carrots can still remain in soil for several weeks or even a month.

Overall a very healthy vegetable. Try and eat at least one a day. You wont regret it.

NOTE: SOME INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS OPINION WAS OBTAINED FROM A TOTAL OF FIVE DIFFERENT WEBSITES.

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