What qualities are carrots valued for? Medicinal properties of carrots.
Carrots are one of the few crops that can be consumed fresh all year round and one of the oldest cultivated plants. It was found in excavations of pile buildings in Switzerland dating back to the second millennium BC. e. The ancient Greeks called it "daukos". This word survives in modern Greek. Carrots were also known to the ancient Romans, who had it; was called “carota” (fleshy root), hence the Latin name of this crop. The modern Russian name “carrot” has common features with the similar name of the vegetable in Bulgarian, Serbian, Polish, Swedish and other languages. In Russia, carrots were first mentioned in Domostroy, a literary monument of the 16th century.
Carrot It is distinguished by a high content of carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. In carrot juice, its C content is 4 times greater than in tomato and apricot juice. The body's absorption of the carotene contained in carrots will be much higher if it is seasoned with vegetable oil.
Carrots stand out among other vegetables for their high content of potassium salts, which is especially important for diseases of the heart, blood vessels and kidneys. In terms of phytoncides content, it is almost as good as garlic and onions. If you eat some fresh carrots, the number of microbes in your mouth will immediately decrease significantly. We know very little about apigenin, a substance that has a beneficial effect on heart function. It is assumed that there is more of it in the core of carrots.
The medicinal properties of carrots are very diverse; people have been using them for a long time. It is known that in Russia back in the 16th century, carrot juice was used to treat diseases of the heart, liver, and nasopharynx. The general effect on the body of the bioactive substances contained in carrots is manifested in increasing vitality, reducing susceptibility to infections, regulating water and water-salt metabolism, and stimulating regenerative processes.
Carrots have anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative, lactogenic, antispasmodic, antitumor, anthelmintic, and wound-healing effects. Therefore, eating carrots is useful for many diseases: hypo- and avitaminosis C and group B, heart attack, kidney stones, malignant tumors, gastrointestinal disorders, hemorrhoids, catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, stomatitis.
The pharmaceutical drug daucarin, which has an antispasmodic effect on the coronary vessels, is an extract from carrot seeds.
Excessive amounts of carotene can be harmful, especially for children - they may develop a fever, a rash on the body, and allergies. Yellowing of the skin may also occur.
- it’s our fault, we didn’t feed or water it. But when in the fall you see that the root crop has grown not orange, but yellow or white, you can with a clear conscience blame the producer or the wild carrot with which your cultivated one “mated.”
So, why are carrots yellow (white) and not orange?
-Producer's wine. In pursuit of cost reduction, many producers begin to “hack”: they do not regularly update mother plants, but grow vegetables for seeds using old, degenerating varieties. From such seeds you will get white carrots- not juicy and not tasty, no matter how diligently you carry out agricultural practices.
Low-quality seeds produce carrots that look like wild ones. You can distinguish it from a good one by its tops. Degenerate carrots have leaves with fluff, a richer green color than cultivated ones, and the rosette of leaves is almost horizontal. Such root vegetables should be discarded immediately - they will be woody, unsweetened, pale, and, moreover, they can cross-pollinate varietal carrots.
On the left - seed carrots, on the right - wild carrots -Collecting seeds from F1 hybrids . If you collect seeds from carrots (and any other vegetable), the packaging of which says F1, that is, a first-generation hybrid, they will grow into second-generation hybrids - F2. Such carrots lose their varietal, or rather hybrid, qualities, and become more similar to their wild sisters. And wild carrots are white, bitter and not juicy.
-Cross-pollination with wild carrots. Daucus carota, or common carrot, grows everywhere in the southern regions of the European part of Russia, as well as in Ukraine and Belarus. Its fruits have a hot, spicy taste and appear yellow or white. Carrots growing in our gardens are a subspecies of wild carrots. That is, they are close relatives, and are easily pollinated by insects at a distance of 0.8-2 km, depending on the area. This is another answer to the question why carrots are white and not orange. When growing carrots for seeds, make sure that the same carrot plant is not growing nearby, or get ready for the seeds to be a surprise. Also, you should not plant several varieties at once, otherwise they will cross-pollinate with each other.
However, such root vegetables can also be used - as a spice in marinades, canned food, and also in medicine - as a diuretic, anthelmintic, in the treatment of kidney stones.
Wild carrots - Feeding. If not all carrots are pale, but only with carrot core is white and tough Most likely, we are dealing with a “skew” in mineral substances. In particular, with an excess of nitrogen and a lack of potassium and phosphorus. Typically, such root vegetables have lush greenery, and the flesh is dry and bitter. To correct the situation, you need to exclude nitrogen and organic fertilizers (urea, mullein, bird droppings, manure) and fertilize with ash or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Read more about feeding carrots.
Thus, if the carrots grow yellow or white, this is a reason to think about the quality of the seeds. Do not spare money on seeds from a reliable company and be careful when preparing carrot seeds. Have a good harvest!
Tatyana Kuzmenko, member of the editorial board, correspondent of the online publication "AtmAgro. Agro-industrial Bulletin"
Root vegetables include carrots, beets, radishes, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, parsley, celery and parsnips. The last three types of root vegetables contain a lot of essential oils, so they are used as spicy vegetables in the production of dishes and in canning. They are sometimes classified as a separate group - spicy vegetables. Depending on which part (bast or wood) nutrients are deposited, root vegetables are divided into three types: carrot type, beet type and radish type.
In root vegetables such as carrots (carrots, parsley, parsnips, celery), nutrients are deposited in the bast part. It occupies most of the root crops and is more valuable than wood (core). The lower the specific gravity of the core, the more nutritious the root crop.
Root crops such as beets (table, sugar and fodder beets) alternate bast (dark) and woody (light) rings. Nutrients in these types of root crops are also deposited in the bast part; the woody part is poor in them. Naturally, the fewer light (woody) rings in a beet, the higher its nutritional value.
In root vegetables such as radishes (radishes, turnips, radishes and rutabaga), the woody part is more developed, in which nutrients are deposited; the bast part is poorly developed and fits tightly to the skin.
Carrot. This is one of the oldest root vegetables, eaten by the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the Middle Ages, carrots were considered a delicious vegetable, and since the 17th century. began to be grown everywhere in Europe. In Russia, carrots have been grown since time immemorial. It is used fresh, for drying, fermenting, pickling, obtaining juice, purees, and powders. It is a raw material in the production of canned food for diet and baby food. Carrots contain a lot of sugar, minerals in the form of iron salts, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements. Carrots are especially rich in carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the human body.
Based on their length, carrots are divided into short carrots (karotel) - 5 cm; semi-long - 8-20 cm; long - more than 20 cm.
The most common economic and botanical varieties of carrots are: Nantes, Geranda, Chantenay, Incomparable, Moscow Winter, Vitaminnaya, Artek, Biryuchekutskaya, Losinoostrovskaya, Valeria.
Parsley. Root and leaf parsley are grown. In the leafy plant, only the leaves are used for food (its roots are highly branched, thin, and have no nutritional value), in the root plant - leaves and roots. Parsley roots and leaves are rich in essential oils (30-50 mg%), therefore they have a pleasant aroma; In addition, they are of certain value as a food product. Parsley is widely used in cooking, for salting and pickling.
Of the root types of parsley, the most common varieties are Saharnaya, Urozhaynaya, Bordovikskaya, Gribovskaya, and of the leaf varieties - Ordinary leaf, Kudryavaya.
Parsnip. Its roots are thick, elongated, semi-long or almost round in shape, and white. Parsnips are similar in shape to parsley. The root vegetable is used as food, which has a unique aroma and sweetish taste, as it contains essential oils and a large amount of sugars (2.3-8.0%). Parsnips are used as a seasoning for dishes, in the production of canned food, in pickling and pickling. A common variety is Round.
Celery can be root or leaf. The root has spherical roots (weight 150-200 g) of white color with a large number of adventitious roots, and the leaf forms a large number of leaves. In celery roots the mass fraction of essential oils reaches 10 mg%, in the leaves it is slightly higher. Leaves and roots are used for making salads and for drying. The most common root varieties are Yablochny and Kornevoy Gribovsky, and leaf varieties are Listovoy.
Beetroot has been known since ancient times. The Greeks valued it very much; for example, thanksgiving offerings were often made in the form of silver beets. Table beets are grown in many regions of our country. It stores well, which allows it to be used in food almost all year round. In spring and summer, young beets, including petioles and leaves, are used in cooking; in autumn and winter, mature root vegetables are used. This vegetable crop is distinguished by its high sugar content - up to 8%. It contains malic and oxalic acids, it is rich in potassium and manganese salts. There are iron and calcium salts. Young beet tops contain a lot of carotene, vitamin C and B vitamins.
Economic and botanical varieties of beets are distinguished by the color of the pulp and skin, shape, size, number of light rings per time: cut, etc. The best in nutritional terms are considered to be medium-sized root vegetables, with juicy, intensely colored pulp and a small number of rings. In large root vegetables, the proportion of sugars and other dry substances is less (2-4%), fiber is higher.
The most common varieties: Egyptian flat, Donskaya flat, Siberian flat, Nosovskaya, Incomparable, Leningradskaya rounded, Northern ball, Kuban borscht, Eclipse, Bordeaux, Podzimnyaya.
Radish. This is one of the earliest and most common types of vegetables. It is grown indoors and outdoors, mainly in the spring, since in the summer the root crops become low-juicy and have coarse pulp. Early radish is a source of vitamin C, minerals and other substances. Essential oils give it a specific smell. Radishes are used only fresh.
The most common economic and botanical varieties are: Rubin, Saksa, Red with a white tip, Round red with a white tip, Red giant, Pink-red with a white tip, Chisinau round white, Ice icicle, Virovsky white, Dungan, Siberian, Korean local.
Turnip. It is grown in many regions of the country. Turnips acquire particular value in northern regions where other types of vegetables grow poorly. It is a source of sugars, nitrogenous and mineral substances, and vitamin C. Turnips, which have yellow flesh, are more nutritious and are preserved better than root vegetables with white flesh.
The most common turnip varieties are: Petrovskaya (yellow flesh), Milan white red-headed, May yellow green-headed (white flesh). Turnips are used raw, boiled, baked, for making soups and salads.
Radish. Root vegetables have a bitter-sharp taste and a specific smell due to the presence of essential oils and glycosides.
There are summer radishes, which have a mildly pungent taste, ripen quickly and are poorly stored, and winter radishes, which have a pungent taste and are stored well. Of the summer radish varieties, the most common are Odesskaya and Mayskaya white; from winter - Grayvoronskaya, Winter round black, Skvirskaya white.
Swede. It grows mainly in the north of the country and compensates for the lack of fresh vegetables in these areas in winter and spring.
Diseases and damage to root crops. Root crops most often suffer from white, gray, black, bacterial and heart rot, and bacteriosis.
White rot affects carrots, parsley, turnips, celery, and parsnips. A white fluffy coating appears on root crops, on which small black sclerotia form. The affected tissue becomes gelatinous. During storage, the disease is quickly transmitted to healthy root crops.
Gray rot occurs during storage of carrots, beets, celery and parsley. First, an ashy coating forms on the surface of the root crop, and then the affected areas become slimy.
Black rot affects carrots during storage. Depressed dark spots appear on the surface, which can then cover the entire surface of the root crops.
Bacterial rot forms on carrots. Softened yellow-brown areas appear on the surface of the root crop, the tissue becomes mucous-watery and acquires an unpleasant taste.
Heart rot (fomosis) affects beets in the field and then develops during storage. The beet core turns black. The disease is transmitted to healthy root crops.
Bacteriosis affects radishes, radishes, turnips, and rutabaga. In this case, the vascular-conducting bundles turn black, and the pulp around them turns into a foul-smelling mass.
Root crops are also affected by wireworms, fly larvae, nematodes, and mites.
Requirements for the quality of root crops. For root crops, the standards establish a number of similar requirements. Carrots and beets intended for sale are divided into three classes, depending on quality indicators: extra, first and second. Regardless of the class, the root crops must be fresh, whole, healthy, clean, not withered, not cracked, without signs of sprouting, without damage by agricultural pests, in a typical shape and color for the botanical variety, with or without the length of the remaining petioles no more than 2.0 cm , but without damage to the roots of the roots. For the extra class, root vegetables must be smooth, regular in shape, without side roots, and not bruised; for first class - allowed with minor defects in shape and coloring; for the second - root vegetables with defects in shape and color are allowed, but not ugly.
The size of root crops is determined by the largest transverse diameter for carrots of the extra and first classes - 5.0-10 cm; the second - 5.0-14 cm. For beets, the size is normalized by the largest transverse diameter, cm (or by weight, g): before September 1 - for all classes - 2.0-4.0 (20-150) and after 1 September: for extra - 2.0-4.5 (75-200); first - 2.0-6.0 (75-275); the second - 2.0-7.0 (50310). Carrot size in length, cm, for extra and first class - at least 10; for the second - it is not standardized. In a batch of carrots and beets, it is allowed to have vegetables with deviations from the established sizes, with minor mechanical damage, with cuts on the heads, slight wilting, and the presence of soil stuck to the root crops for the first and second classes. Carrots and beets that are wilted, rotten, with signs of wrinkles, steamed, or frostbitten are not allowed for acceptance.
Leaf parsley, as well as early parsley and celery, should be fresh, clean and not coarse. Slight wilting of leaves is allowed.
Root crops are transported packed in containers with a capacity of up to 50 kg or in containers. Store in the store's back rooms in the received containers at a temperature of 0-4°C and a relative air humidity of 85-95%.
