A carrot, organically grown and just pulled from the soil, needs only a quick scrub to be ready to eat.  It is pleasure for the senses:  Vivid orange flesh and feathery green tops entire the ye; an earthy, herbal fragrance alerts the nose; a loud crunch accompanies every bite.  Plent of preparations can enhance the carrot experience--from a dip in olive oil to a long slow roast--but there is also ample satisfaction in savoring one on its own, unadorned and naturally sweet.

For people who get their carrots from the grocery store, convenience might seem to be the vegetable's primary selling point.  It's true, these slender roots travel and store extremely well; they make an effortless low-calorie snack; and their sweetness means that even the pickiest children will usually accept them on their plate.  But such attributes tell only part of the story.

To enjoy carrots as they are truly meant to taste, and to reap the greatest nutritional benefits, you need to look beyond the grocery aisles.  the best thing you can do is grow them yourself--or buy them from someone who does.  Check out your local farmers' market or specialty produce store, and you may be surprised at the varieties you find.  Plump little "Thumbelina" carrots that are perfect for cooking whole; "Sugarsnas" carrots that are extra-sweet; "Adelaide Baby" carrots that are tender and delicate (unlike the fibrous, full-size carrots that are often cut into segments, bagged and sold as "babies), and many more.  Any one of these can be a memorable part of a meal, whether cutting the richness of a stew or adding a wholesome element to dessert.

Carrots taste best when recently harvested.  Look for smooth, firm roots and bright, fresh-looking tops.  The tops themselves can be tasty and pretty; if you're preparing carrots simply (steaming them, for example) you might leave tops intact.  Remove them for storage, however, as they can affect the root's moisture and flavor.  To peel or not to peel?  If the carrots are not organic, it's always best to peel them to elimiante residue from pesticides.  You might peel a full-size, organic carrot if you want a smoother appearance, or just give it a good scrub to remove any soil.  The tender skin of baby carrots rarely needs peeling.  Go ahead and enjoy them by the bunch.  Your mother was right, after all--carrots are good for you.  But did you know they could be this good?

GROWING CARROTS

Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family; biennial in nature, they are grown as an annual in gardens.  This is because the carrot plant flowers in its second year, stealing energy--and flavor--from the root.  Highly adaptable, easy to grow, and quick to mature, carrots are a good choice for novice gardeners and even kids.  Carrots like cool weather, so begin sowing--directly into deeply cultivated, loose, sandy garden soil--in early spring.  Sow about 3 seeds per inch, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, in rows 10-12 inches apart; take care not to sow too thickly, or you'll have to thin the growth considerably later.  Pelleted seeds, which are coated, are easier to sprinkle evenly.  Expect to wait 2 weeks or so before the first sprouts appear.  When the carrot seedlings are a few inches tall, thin the crop, leaving 1 carrot about every 3 inches.  (Try tossing a few of these young, thinned carrots into a salad).  When the greenery is several inches tall, apply mulch to help the soil retain moisture, dry soil can lead to cracks in the carrots.  Most varieties mature in 50 to 80 days.  Water and weed regularly as you wait for harvest.  You can start a second crop in late July or early August--the roots will benefit from the cool-season temperatures in early fall.

TYPES OF CARROTS

• Caropak - 7 to 9 inch roots; full flavored; 74 days to harvest.
• Purple Dragon--purple outside, red and yellow inside; spicy, crisp; 60 to 70 days to harvest.
• Thumbelina -- 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter; 50 days to harvest.
• Sugarsnax -- 9 inch tapered roots; tender, candy sweet; 65 days to harvest.
• Kinbi--Several inches long; best cooked; 65 days to harvest.
• Healthmaster -- blocky; juicier; stays in soil well into fall; 100 days to harvest
• Atomic Red -- broad-shouldered, 6 inch tapers; full flavor; 75 to 80 days to harvest
• Bolero -- 7 to 8 inch blunted roots; extremely sweet; stores well; 75 days to harvest
• Nutri-Red -- good roasted or steamed; 80 days to harvest
• Adelaide Baby -- harvest when 3 inches long or shorter; great eaten from the garden.
• Yellowstone -- productive, even in tough soils; pick before its 8 inch maturity for best taste; 80 days to harvest
• Chantenay Red Core -- Versatile; up to 6 inches, 2 inch shoulders; 70 days to harvest.

We hope this kind will be helpful as you plant your carrots.  The grandkids have so much fun planting and waiting for these delicious treats to grow.  We have to watch them or they eat dirt and all (okay because we grow organically but parents aren't so excited).