Those bright orange carrots in our gardens have a secret history. Carrots were originally purple, white or yellow. Orange colored carrots came later, thanks to the Dutch who bred orange carrots in the 1700s. Legend says it honored the Dutch House of Orange, but cooks much preferred the fact that orange carrots didn’t turn soups brown like the purple ones did. Whatever the reason, orange carrots caught on and became the standard carrot color. These days you can still grow rainbow carrots, but orange remains the classic favorite.
Growing Home - Orange Carrots
