|Height||:||8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm)|
|Flowering||:||Summer (from the second year)|
|Properties||:||Soothing,anti-anaemia, improves vision,laxative, mineralizing, regenerates tissue|
The carrot is known throughout Europe, growing on the path side and in meadows. The distant ancestor of the carrot was a wild species to be found in Eurasia, and when human first discovered it, the root was white. For some unknown reason a new variety with an orangey-yellow root spontaneously developed in Afghanistan.
The carrot is a biennial plant that produces an edible fleshy taproot. The root is generally white or orange and bears an erect rosette of doubly compound, finely divided leaves above ground. During the second year, large, branched flower stalks arise. They are hollow, have a circular cross section and can reach up to more than 30 inches (80 cm) high. The ends of the main stalk and branches bear large compound umbels of tiny white flowers formed by approximately 20 rays in the center of which a sterile, dark purple flower is formed. The flower bears small elongated, oval, dented, spiny seeds. Carrots have a characteristic sweet, herbal fragrance; their taste is soft, sweet, and slightly bitter. Carrot is grown from seed at the end of March directly onto the field, and harvested three months later. Late varieties are sown from the end of May to mid-June and harvested six months later. Once the seeds have germinated, the plants are thinned out at intervals of a little more than an inch (3 cm) apart from each other. The tiny carrots seen during this procedure can already be eaten. Carrots can be harvested upon demand during the whole season. Autumn carrots keep longer if they are left two to three days to dry in the sun.
Carrots are rich in beta carotine which the body transforms into vitamin A, an essential vitamin for the development of children. It supports the intake of minerals and the regeneration of the skin by stimulating melanin production and facilitating the absorption of proteins. It also helps prevent night blindness and improves vision. Carrots contain B vitamins, a lot of vitamin C, as well as vitamin D and E. Moreover, they supply the body with trace elements and amino acids.