Isn't It a Shame?

Since I'm growing carrots in my apartment, I've been thinking alot about carrots lately...probably more than I ever have in my life.

Where do carrots come from? The obvious answer is "seeds"...but where do the carrots seeds come from? With something like apples its very obvious where the seeds come from...but what about carrots? There's no seeds in the part that we eat, and the rest of the carrot is just the nice green leafy part at the top - no seeds there!

Alison, our in house crop expert, tells me that they actually flower just like any other plant. This comes as a bit of a surprise to me, but she's a professional, so it must be true....right?

I've done some digging and just wanted to share some interesting carrot facts with you:
- carrots are originally from Afghanistan. it's true.
- carrots used to be used as a "love medicine" to make women "more yielding".
- carrots were also perscribed to victims of snakebites
- carrots originally came in many colours - red, purple, black, yellow and white. The orange carrot is a hybrid originally from Holland.
- carrot leaves were a hot fashion item in Elizabethan times, used to decorate hair, hats, dresses and coats.
- the white flower "Queen Anne's Lace" is known as the "Carrot Flower" - and from what I've read the "Carrot is a highly refined version of this common weed".

And, the answer you've all been waiting for...
Where do carrot seeds come from?...good question - carrots are "biennials" - they produce seeds in their second year, which is why we never see them, since they are usually harvested in their first year!!