This month’s seed kit features Scarlet Nantes Carrot. One of the most popular and widespread varieties of carrot ever, Scarlet Nantes has since been the original parent crop for countless carrots now known as Nantes-style carrots.
Planting Instructions
Culture: Carrots prefer cool weather, a sunny location, and loose, rich soil. To help the taproot grow straight, loosen the soil to a depth of about 8 inches before sowing seeds. Direct sow seeds about 1/4-1/2 inch deep in rows about one foot apart. Seedlings will germinate in 14-21 days. When plants are an inch or two tall, thin them to 3 inches apart, cutting the tops with scissors to avoid disturbing the roots of neighboring plants. Side dress carrots when tops are 4-6 inches tall with a low nitrogen fertilizer.
Water: Keep soil moist, but not saturated. Mulch lightly to conserve moisture.
Harvest: Scarlet Nantes Carrots reach maturity in about 70 days. Harvest by loosening the soil around the plant and gently pulling.
About Scarlet Nantes Carrots
Carrot Myth-Busting: Separating Fact from Urban Legend
Carrots have collected a long list of myths over the years. Let’s break down what’s true and what’s just crunchy fiction!
First: Do carrots improve your eyesight? Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A—a nutrient essential for healthy vision. If you’re deficient in vitamin A, eating carrots can help prevent night-blindness. But if your eyesight is already normal, carrots won’t magically give you super vision. That famous belief originated in part from World War II propaganda, which claimed that pilots had developed superior night vision by eating carrots.
Next up: Can carrots turn your skin orange? Surprisingly, yes—but only if you eat an excessive amount. This harmless condition is called carotenemia, and it happens when high levels of carotenoids build up in the bloodstream. It’s most common in toddlers who love mashed carrots, not adults who enjoy snacking on carrot sticks. The orange tint fades once you cut back. One stubborn myth claims baby carrots are washed in bleach. In reality, they’re rinsed in a dilute chlorine solution to kill bacteria—similar to how many vegetables are sanitized before packaging. This solution is regulated, food-safe, and the carrots are rinsed again with clean water before bagging. It isn’t “bleaching,” and it doesn’t affect color, nutrition, or taste.
Other myths linger too: carrots aren’t all orange (they naturally come in purple, yellow, and white), they don’t need to be peeled to be safe, and cooking them doesn’t destroy all their nutrients. In short, carrots are versatile, nutritious, and safe—no superpowers, no scary secrets, just a reliable root vegetable worth enjoying.
Honey Roasted Carrots
Serves: 2-4 Prep time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pounds of carrots
- 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, melted
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 2 teaspoons of dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon of salt, sea salt preferred cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper, or to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400° F
- Wash and trim carrots into chunks about 2 inches long by ½ inch wide
- Combine butter, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add carrots and toss to coat.
- Spread the carrots on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet and roast about 30 minutes, or until tender, stirring halfway through cooking time.
Craft: Vegetable Stamps
You’ll Need:
- Carrots
- Xacto blade (used with adult supervision)
- Paint or ink
- Paper
Instructions:
- Chop off the ends of the carrots. The ends should be about 1 inch in length. Try using a larger carrot for bigger stamps.
- Using the blade, carefully cut out your design into the flat end of the carrot. For example, try cutting out a flower, leaves, or even a butterfly.
- After cutting out the design, dip the stamp into some paint or ink and start stamping!
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