one step at a time.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Thursday Thirteen #4

Last week I was in too much of a hurry to think about my TT enough. So this week to make up for it I'm drafting this on Sunday...

This is a list of 13 things I actually already knew about carrots. And it probably just tells you that I am interested in weird stuff. I was at work a while back and thought 'what shall I do this lunchtime? Go for a stroll, buy a sandwich? No - I'll look up the history of the carrot'.



Thirteen Things about Carrots actually... but it is written by Badjokesandovenchips...

1) Carrots didn't start out orange - naturally white/purply red (might as well start with my favourite fact!)

2) They were bred orange when the Dutch who were world renowned as leaders in horticulture in the 18th Century - much as they are now - wanted to develop a nationally coloured vegetable. And they did just what you might guess - they used a red carrot and a yellow variety to breed an orange one!

3) In Britain a year or two ago they tried bringing back the original purple/red carrots. However it seems this was not a success. I never actually saw the purple ones in the shops or I would have bought some.

4) Carrots may be pictured in an ancient Egyptian painting (which you can see if you click on number 13's link) - but it might be a parsnip so don't get too excited.

5) Carrots are closely related to parsnips/parsley and HEMLOCK - which you don't want to be eating.

6) Maryam might be keen to know that it was Morrocan and Arabian travellers who brought a variety of coloured carrot seeds to Europe. So without them the Dutch could never have nationalised the veg.

7) I have grown carrots in my garden this year - they came up lovely but I was a little impatient and dug them up early.

8) Carrots don't help you see in the dark. This one was thought up by the Government here during the war as a ploy to make kids eat more veg.

9) Carrots through history have been used medicinally for a variety of things. eg. the leaves were used to put on cancerous tumours though I'm not sure this would have done much.

10) Carrots were thought (can't remember but think this was in Teheran) to be an aphrodisiac and to increase a man's sperm count.

11) 3rd US President Thomas Jefferson grew carrots and was a keen botanist.

12) There are 35 calories in a medium carrot.

13) When I told my friends on an evening out that I'd been reading about the history of the carrot they laughed.. and laughed. When I tried to pass on the facts & information - they laughed some more. This is the link to an online museum which tells you anything you could need to know about carrots and their history.


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



26 comments:

Annelisa said...

:-D I knew some of those 13 from my son's project on food, but not all of them... was particularly interested that the original colour carrots were sold in shops - I didn't see them either!

(I seem to remember reading/hearing somewhere that the truth about seeing in the dark is that they have high vitamin A, which you do a actually use a lot of in night vision (was it rods or cones...?)

ehm... very interesting Topchamp... always wanted to know so much about ...carrots :-)

Gattina said...

Lol, why the heck did you choose carrots ? Have you been a bunny in your former life ? Anyway I can eat tons of carrots, but still don't see at night !

Girlie said...

Wow. I didn't know this about carrots. The white carrots I saw, I think it was called different name. Parsnips?

Barb said...

Did you know that it's ok to feed your dog raw carrots? My dog loves them. Thx for visiting mine.

Caylynn said...

Informative list! I knew some of those facts, but not all of them. Too funny about #8! I knew that carrots don't help you see in the dark, but I didn't know where that myth came from. Neat!

Thanks for sharing and happy T13. :)

Sonny said...

Very interesting and informative list!
There are some facts I didn't know.
Thanx for sharing!!!

Hugs and Happy TT from Germany,
Sonny

http://sweetlikekitty.blogspot.com

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

You need new friends; those facts were pretty cool. I wish I'd read the part about using the leaves for medicinal purposes ... I could have worked that into my own TT this week!

Unknown said...

Wow. I think I'm going to save this and start talking about carrots as we eat them tonight at supper. My family will think I've flipped!

Happy TT!!

Unknown said...

Though I hate carrots - sorry I´ve had my lifetim dose during childhood, can´t stand them anymore - I enjoyed reading your list and learning aout them!

Happy TT from Germany,
S.

Shelby said...

Oh I love carrots.. great post!

Lee Ann aka Dixie said...

WOW... I did not know this much about carrots... Thanks!

I only eat raw carrots, can't stand to eat them cooked...ewwwww

Annie said...

Wow! This is so interesting! And something I never would have thought to look up on my own. Thank you so much for sharing these!

Coco said...

ROFL
I can't believe I just read a blog about CARROTS! That's just plain weird, TC. I have a question ... WHY?? Slow week? Scraping the bottom of the barrell?

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

WOWOWOWOW Did not know there was that much to know about carrots!

TY

Happy TT

TopChamp said...

Annelisa: Wonder where they sold them then? We're covering a big area of country so it must have been somewhere in the middle I guess....

Gattina: No idea why I started reading this stuff but I found it amusing to do. Definitely not a rabbit, no!

Soshana: Think that must have been a parsnip then... 'fraid I can't count that as a genuine sighting.

Skittles: Never tried feeding raw carrot to a dog. Our old dog liked frozen peas.

Caylynn, Annie & S Kitty: Thanks for visiting!

SHG: I'm intrigued...

Sanni, East of Oregon, Dixie: I always thought of carrots as so bland nobody could dislike them!

Coco: NO! This was floating right up there at the TOP of the barrel... It's ok though - I did count it on my weirdness meme tag thing.

Bond: Hello - nice to see you!

TopChamp said...

Oh - And Christine: They will think that - it's ok though.

I blinded you with Science! said...

Found your blog via Bond's blog

It's odd how we take something we eat normally almost everyday for granted. I didn't know the carrot would have such an involved history or that someone would know so much about it.

Good TT 13

Anonymous said...

I would never have known! Thanks so much for the lesson!

Anndi said...

See what I can learn in the blogosphere! very clever TT!

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

I am simply bursting with Moroccan pride! I mean, who knew....?

Meow (aka Connie) said...

I love carrots ... thanks for the info. Unusual topic for a TT, though !!!!
Have a great weekend.
Take care, Meow

Anonymous said...

They are still good for your eyes, though, right?

Darla said...

Wow, the things you learn. I would so eat purple carrots. Wonder if they taste the same?

Anonymous said...

I love unusual facts! Very interesting topic for your TT.

Travis Cody said...

I busted out laughing when I saw the topic for this 13, but I stopped laughing when I started reading it.

Very nice. I enjoy adding to my fund of knowledge, and these were things I did not know.

alisonwonderland said...

carrots are my ten-year-old daughter's favorite food, so i'm going to pass along your TT to her!

thanks for stopping by my blog.