Let's Talk Baby Carrots

Maybe you would rather we not talk about baby carrots, but I recently came across some information the other day that has put me off of baby carrots for life and I had to share it.

Long story short, a farmer was sick of wasting carrots because they were not the perfect size and shape so he invented the baby carrot. He cut the carrots into two separate pieces and then peeled them to make them all look uniform. All of this because consumers don't like to buy 'ugly' carrots!

Can carrots really be ugly?
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Then things went one step further and a new kind of carrot was born, the Imperator. This carrot is bred to grow longer and ripen faster. Then it is peeled and cut into three separate pieces. This process results in the baby carrots being sweeter.

The interesting thing about baby carrots is that they only have 70% of the beta carotene of a normal carrot. In fact, baby carrots hold little nutritional value. And it turns out, for all you frugal people out there, that baby carrots are, on average, more expensive than regular carrots.

At an away game last week, a few wives and I started talking about baby carrots (weird, I know) and we all agreed that we prefer the taste of 'regular' carrots more. Since there are no baby carrots here, we have all been buying 'regular' carrots this year and will continue to do so once we get back to the States.

So, next time you go to the store, treat yourself to a 'regular' carrot (preferably organic or locally grown). You, too, may decide that they are the perfect carrot for you.

The Bigger, The Better!
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And if you want to do some additional reading on baby carrots, check out these articles.
Wisebread
Squidoo
GirlieGirlArmy
CarrotMuseum