CARROT

The Carrot is the second most popular vegetable in the world after the potato. When you read the nutrition pages you will see and agree why it should be number one.

Photo compliments of USDA Agricultural Research Service, where researchers have selectively bred carrots with pigments that reflect almost all colours of the rainbow. More importantly, though, they're very good for your health. Photo by Stephen Ausmus.

In fact in England the carrot is number 1 according to a survey carried out by the National Trust in 2002. Overall, 17% of the 2,031 people in the survey opted for the carrot. It came ahead of the potato (15%) and broccoli (13%) in a battle of the vegetable patch. Least favourites by those questioned were Brussels Sprouts, Parsnip, Swede and Turnip.
 

Some modern varieties from Nunhems
Indigo	Sunlite	Creme de lite	Inca
Navajo	Sirkana	Top cut	Black Knight

Orange coloured carrots are the most popular but  are also commonly available in White, Yellow, Red and Maroon. The Maroon/purple coloured varieties are making a big comeback in English stores.  Read more here.
 

Part of the Carrot Museum 2008 crop (note very rare Spanish Black variety)

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION Carrot is an erect (30–120 cm high) annual or biennial herb of the UMBELLIFERAE family with branched stem arising from a large, succulent, thick, fleshy 5–30 cm long tap root. The colour of the root in the cultivated varieties ranges from white, yellow, orange, light purple, or deep red to deep violet and black.
The shape varies from short stumps to tapering cones. Leaves are finely dissected, twice or thrice-pinnate, segments are linear to lanceolate, 0.5–3 cm long. Upper leaves are reduced, with a sheathing petiole. Stem is striate or ridged, glabrous to hispid, up to 1 m tall. Flowers are borne in compound, more or less globose, to 7-cmin- diameter umbels. Rays are numerous, bracts 1–2 pinnated, lobes linear, 7–10 bracteoles similar to bracts.
Flowers are white or yellowish; the outer are usually the largest. Sepals are minute or absent, there are five petals and stamens, ovary inferior with two cells and one ovule per cell, two styles. Fruits are oblong, with bristly hairs along ribs, 2–4 mm long.
The carrot plant is indigenous to the maritime chalky soils of southern Europe but has spread widely, partly through reversion from cultivated plants. It still prefers the sea coast climate but is strong enough to be found almost anywhere.  Traditional Medicinal Uses for Carrot and its seeds around the world (pdf).

Rank(2006)	Country	Metric Tonnes
1	China	8,395,500
2	Russian Fed.	1,730,000
3	U. S. A.	1,601,790
4	Poland	935,000
5	Ukraine	706,500
6	U. K.	677,144
7	Italy	641,558
8	Japan	630,000
9	Germany	555,000
10	Netherlands	430,000
11	France	417,800
12	Turkey	380,000
13	Mexico	378,517
14	India	350,000
15	Belgium	320,000
16	Indonesia	308,675
17	Belarus	306,000
18	Australia	302,560
19	Canada	301,450
20	Morocco	300,000