Description
I love this carrot. Not just for the novelty of its intense deep purple colour but for its sweet large (25cm long 5cm wide) antioxidant nutrient rich tapered roots. Out in the field, I did a taste test with a traditional orange carrot. Both were freshly pulled from our garden and I could barely distinguish any difference in taste, crunch or juiciness. No hard inedible core. Hailing from India, the generations of seed savers did an awesome job selecting the best. Seed is 2x the size of the usual carrot seed and germination takes only 4-7 days. The high levels of anthocyanins that give it the purple colour spills into the foliage with deep purple streaks along the leaf stems and gives the flowering umbels an attractive faded mauve.
Delicious fresh, roasted, steamed, juiced, smoothies, pickled, baking & dye. Purple turns pink by adding lemon juice/vinegar. With protection, can overwinter. Take an epicurean venture with a Black Nebula carrot cake. Great natural dye for Easter eggs.
- Seed Count: 100-150
- Collection Date: Nov 2024
- Hardiness Zone: biannual
- Height and Width: 30 cm x 8 cm
- Germination test type: hand sort; actual germination +75%
75 days. Germinates 4-7 days at 25-28C. Raised beds best. Sow 2 weeks before last frost & every 2 weeks for continuous summer harvest. Sow 5-9mm deep 4 cm apart (reduces need to thin) in deeply tilled well draining fertile soil. Baby carrots at 40 days; mature at 75. Floating row cover helps avoid insect problems & helps prevent soil crusting which prevent emerging tops break soil surface.
