Hoorah! The carrot harvest is here. This year I grew four different varieties of carrots in my plot: ‘Purple Haze‘, ‘Sugarsnax’, ‘Autumn King II‘ and ‘Yellowstone‘. So what did I think of them?

‘Sugarsnax’ are the longest, thinnest, carrots I’ve ever grown. But though they lacked a little in bulk, they made up for in superb taste. These are the loveliest, sweetest carrots that I’ve grown to date. They are perfect raw.

‘Yellowstone’ has quite a different flavour. It is still sweet, but drier. I’ve always loved to roast these carrots in their skins, which brings out their lovely warm sweetness.

‘Purple Haze’ is also nicely sweet. It’s another lunchbox carrot, especially if you’ve got children who aren’t too keen on vegetables. But it also does very well roasted in a little butter.

‘Autumn King II’ is not the sort of dainty, tender carrot you eat raw. I only grew it this year because I knew I’d be moving house before any parsnips would be ready, and I love making carrot and coriander soup, which is what this chunk monkey of a carrot is perfect for. But really in terms of flavour and money-saving, this carrot is a waste of time as you can buy it so very cheaply in the shops.

For more information on how to grow carrots, read the Good Growing Guide.

What carrots have you grown this year?