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Post by ottawagardener on Dec 17, 2011 12:15:42 GMT -5
Though I find the nantes varieties useful in that they taste like people expect carrots to taste like and are easy to use in the kitchen, my favourite is:
Dragon: I like the taste, find it grows and stores well for me. It's also pretty.
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Post by raymondo on Dec 17, 2011 14:25:52 GMT -5
I think my favourite is St Valéry. I sow my carrots just after the summer solstice to harvest throughout winter when they're deliciously sweet. St Valéry holds really well in the ground for me.
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Post by templeton on Dec 17, 2011 17:33:42 GMT -5
Dragon looks most impressive. How does the taste differ from normal carrot?
And isn't that quite late, Ray? I've always found carrots a bit hit and miss - haven't got my hand in, obviously. I've only really tried Baby - the short roots suit my rather heavy soil. Three Colours Purple was not as nice.
T
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Post by raymondo on Dec 17, 2011 17:49:02 GMT -5
And isn't that quite late, Ray? T T, it's actually a tad early sometimes. If we get a particularly warm summer some varieties bolt before winter sets in. Another keen vegie grower in town sows his carrots a little before the spring equinox. I keep meaning to try it but haven't done so as yet. |
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Post by ottawagardener on Dec 17, 2011 17:50:16 GMT -5
Dragon tastes mild but carroty without being overly sweet. What I haven't tasted in it are the bitter flavours sometimes carrots get especially at my old place which had nuetral soil by the way.
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Post by darwinslair on Dec 17, 2011 18:53:48 GMT -5
My favorite is Oxheart but damn is it hard to find now. 5 years back I got 4 packs of 800 seeds from Bakers Creek. Cant save seeds here. We are overrun with queen annes lace. Would love to find another source for that one in bulk. Next time I will shrink wrap and freeze them for future years. Had basicaly no germination from the old seed this year.
Tom
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Post by bonsaioutlaw on Dec 17, 2011 19:12:58 GMT -5
My fav. is Parisienne. I have grown it and Scarlet Nantes. I am going to try White Belgian this year and I would like to try Muscade.
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Post by 12540dumont on Dec 17, 2011 20:45:54 GMT -5
My favorite is also the Paris Ball type carrots. However, I have found a need for a larger carrot, one not to be eaten out of hand but processed.
I'm looking for bigger carrot to both juice and dehydrate. So this Spring I'm just going to bite the bullet and start a new carrot trial.
I was reading on the Long Island Seed site that the Oxheart carrot has failed due to the lack of interest on behalf of Burpee. Check it out. It's a sad tale.
I have found Oxheart at Bountiful, but they never give you very many seeds, I did not have all that great germination from them last year, but the carrots I did get were gorgeous. I may have to break down and buy a package to throw in the trial.
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Post by darwinslair on Dec 18, 2011 9:20:51 GMT -5
I just like having carrots that weigh a couple of pounds and do well in clay. Makes my life easier. They store great too.
Tom
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Post by ottawagardener on Dec 19, 2011 9:46:38 GMT -5
I like oxheart too and recently found a seed source. I think it was Cottage Gardener way up here in the still not so white north. However, they seem no longer to sell it.  |
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Post by bonsaioutlaw on Dec 19, 2011 10:21:43 GMT -5
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Post by ferdzy on Dec 20, 2011 18:39:21 GMT -5
I have not grown a lot of carrots and have not always had success with the ones I've tried. (I think I have finally gotten the message: NO MANURE.) However, I was very impressed with Amsterdam Maxi Forcing carrot from William Dam. Flakkee (Autumn King has done reasonably well for us as a larger carrot. I think St Valerie did not do too badly for us even though last time we grew it was pretty early in our carrot learning curve.
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Post by louisiane on Apr 1, 2014 10:57:03 GMT -5
My favorite is Oxheart but damn is it hard to find now. 5 years back I got 4 packs of 800 seeds from Bakers Creek. Cant save seeds here. We are overrun with queen annes lace. Would love to find another source for that one in bulk. Next time I will shrink wrap and freeze them for future years. Had basicaly no germination from the old seed this year. Tom I have been savings heirloom seeds for many years and I know that vegetables, especially heirloom veggies, can bear many different names. The Oxheart carrot can also be found under the name of Carotte de Guérande or Guerande carrot. This variety can still be found in preservation programs like Seeds of Diversity or Seed Savers Exchange or A Seed for Change or Kokopelli in Europe. Try there. |
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Post by 12540dumont on Apr 1, 2014 13:08:07 GMT -5
Thank you Louisiane!
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Post by billw on Apr 1, 2014 14:24:11 GMT -5
I'm not confident that Oxheart and Guerande are the same. They may once have been, but I've seen significant differences between the two. Guerande was overall a smaller carrot, shorter, about 4 inches, frequently forking although similar in form to Oxheart. Oxheart is longer, 5.5 inches, and larger, up to 50% heavier. It is quite possible that they were the same carrot not too long ago and have diverged due to small breeding populations.
I've been working with Oxheart for several years, crossing it to other varieties and now trying to work back toward the original characteristics. There were a lot of off types in the seed that I started with. What I end up with won't be Oxheart anymore of course, but I'm hoping for a very similar carrot with better consistency in size and shape.
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