28 September: Carrot Day

In the French Revolutionary Calendar, today is Carrot day. Carrots are also associated with St Michael, whose feast day is tomorrow, with special ceremonies involving carrots taking place the Sunday before it (ie yesterday). So here are 10 things you might not know about carrots.

1. The carrot is a member of the Parsley family including species such as Celery, Parsnip, fennel, dill and Coriander.
2. It is believed that the carrot originated some 5000 years ago in Middle Asia around Afghanistan, and slowly spread into the Mediterranean area.
3. Contrary to popular opinion, wild Rabbits don't eat carrots. They might eat the leaves, but they wouldn't bother to dig up the roots. Pet rabbits are often fed carrots because Bugs Bunny eats them - but pet rabbits shouldn't be given carrots as they are actually quite bad for them and give them tooth decay and digestive problems. According to the RSPCA, pet rabbits should be given hay to eat.
4. Carrots were originally white or purple. Then a Yellow carrot appeared through mutation and the familiar Orange carrot was bred from it. It was the Dutch who bred the orange carrot because orange was the traditional colour of the royal house of the Netherlands.
5. A medium-size carrot has 25 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of fibre. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, providing more than 200% of your daily requirement in just one carrot. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, a natural chemical that the body changes into vitamin A. The deeper orange the carrot, the more beta-carotene you get.
6. When first cultivated, carrots were grown for their leaves and seeds rather than their roots. You can eat the leaves - they are rich in protein, minerals and vitamins and oxalates.
7. Carrots taste sweeter in winter. Because plants are immobile, they must develop defence techniques against severe cold in winter, which would otherwise harm or kill the plant. Carrots have developed the physiological response of increasing their sugar content when it’s cold outside.
8. The  longest carrot ever was grown by Joe Atherton Mansfield UK in 2007 at 19 feet 2inches), and the heaviest carrot ever tipped the scales at 18.985 pounds (8.61 kg) in 1998.
9. Ed Ruscha, who is a master printer and artist uses carrot juice instead of printer ink.
10. In astrology, the ruling planet for cultivated carrot is Mars; for the wild carrot it's Mercury.