I spotted these fantastic purple (but really, they were reddish) carrots at the Down to Earth stall at Salcedo Market a couple of Saturdays ago, and promptly purchased the last two bunches they had on display. It’s really nice to see farmers adding variety to the produce that they grow and offer to consumers. And I tend to buy almost anything unusual like this, to encourage them to grow more…
Peeled, the carrots have an orange flesh just like their more common orange cousins, so if you want to show off their color, you need to leave their thin skins on. Simply brush them off well and wash and serve as crudites or blanch briefly and use in a salad, etc.
Here, the carrots are briefly blanched, cut in half to show off their unusually colored skins, and the vibrant orange flesh, and presented on a platter with some nice blanched asparagus and a dipping sauce nearby. Simple but unusual at the same time.
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Simple but so appetizing… and healthy too! I like my veggies roasted too!
Typo MM- 2nd paragraph. Skins “off”…
i saw maroon corn (tasted like the white makunat corn), and i heard of maroon okra as well. have yet to see this carrot. i wonder if they ‘bleed’ like sugar beets do.
Wow It looks so delicious .. i love veggies :))
Reminds me of the purple sitaw and sigarilyas that we used to have in our vegetable garden.
BTW, here’s a color wheel of carrots: https://img.myconfinedspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/carrots.jpg
Yes, we really should have more of these. Also I’m always on the look out for colorful heirloom corn. Like these glass-gem corn and other quirky varieties.
https://plantingmilkwood.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/1205-indian-corn-02.jpg
perfect with bagna cauda
This was the original color of carrots before the Dutch in the 16th century bred them into the now common orange color. You can also find yellow and white carrots in farmers markets.
Beautiful asparagus, too..
Cauliflower now comes in yellow and purple too. I am told they have more antioxidants than their non pigmented cousin.
That’s why I like your blog I. always learn something new .Ty .(^_^)
MM, do they taste the same as the orange carrots?
ros, interesting photos! Thanks for the links.
I used to order our weekly veggies from Down to Earth but had to stop b/c service was a little bad. No advance info on what the “veggies for the week” are, and for several weeks, we kept on getting “grass-like” vegetables that not even our household help would eat. I know their selection in the Salcedo market is way better, but for the weekly home deliveries (at least during the season that we were ordering last year), the selection was really poor.
I loved these too! Grabbed a bunch when I spotted them from Down to Earth…roasted mine with honey and sea salt :) Although I peeled mine so lost the purple color :( Next time will try this!
Beautiful! Love the contrast between the bright orange and the muted red. Nice red tray too. :)
Didn’t orange carrots become dominant because Dutch growers cultivated them in tribute to William of Orange?
The purple carrots are pretty. What kind of dip did you prepare?
Yes, carrots were originally purple. Orange ones are the result of selective breeding and ended up dominating the market as well as being the benchmark. Come to think of it – sort of like the media benchmarks and one track standards of human beauty. LOL!
Off topic again MM, but I was thinking of you and all pork lovers and the news of porkalypse. Not sure how much climate change is affecting swine production in ‘Pins but my nephew who has a pig farm is already complaining of the high cost of raising them.
and here’s some entertaining gifs for bacon lovers:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/26/bacon-shortage-9-amazing-gifs-help-you-get-through-porkocalypse_n_1916891.html?utm_hp_ref=technology#slide=1572386
I used to plant purple okra. When you cook them, they turn green like the regular ones. I had seeds send to Pinas in Quezon Province and they too planted them and successfully got some harvest. But they were little ones and did not produce next generation seeds to plant. Also my cousin said they taste different. I don’t know if it’s just the soil there or just in my cousin’s head. Anyway, haven’t seen this color of okra here in my neck of the woods.
Looks really delish. How do you make the dip for that?
I must confess I have been a lurker for a few weeks/months now. I started to read all your posts and am up to at least half of 2006 simply because they were all so engaging. I have enjoyed all of them but love the “rants” most of all. I have not been to the Phillipines for at least 40 years but it’s funny how you realize what culture is most dominant when food is involved. So, thank you for your blog, it is a joy to read and I for one appreciate it very much. It’s like I’m there and maybe one day I will be there again. Meanwhile, keep it going…………..
beautiful carrots. when you cut it into half, mm, it looked more interesting to eat. excited to get this kind of carrot. i will see them this sunday.
thanks, jb, for liking the red tray. i heard they use natural dyes to color their trays.