International Carrot Day

Ahhh, the ubiquitous carrot. A favorite food of rabbits, amazing for the eyesight, and the foundation of what is easily one of the greatest cakes ever conceived! This root vegetable is full of vitamins and nutrition, while being tasty as well!

When people think of a carrot, it’s doubtless that the mind is immediately brought to the bright orange root with the green foliage. The same one that is often found sticking out of the face of a snowman during winter.

But does everyone know that orange is just one of the many colors that carrots naturally come in? In fact, orange isn’t even the most common color of carrots outside of the Americas!

International Carrot Day is a perfect opportunity to learn more about all of the various cultivars of carrot, and what they can bring to the enjoyment and nutrition of meals!

History of International Carrot Day

The history of International Carrot Day is really the history of the carrot, and research of this incredibly popular root has revealed that it likely finds its origins in Central Asia. Through thousands of years of careful cultivation, the world has ultimately arrived at the bright orange, slightly sweet, not at all bitter variety of carrot that is regularly found in recipes today!

International Carrot Day, itself, was established in 2003 and it has spread throughout the world to all the places the carrot is known. By 2012. International Carrot Day Celebrations had found their way around the globe to several countries on different continents, including France, Sweden, Italy, Russia, Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom.   

As previously mentioned, there are multiple varieties of this popular vegetable, known as cultivars, that range away from the traditional orange color people typically think of.

There’s the purple dragon carrot, a lovely form of this root vegetable that has a deliciously complex flavor, slightly spicy with a kid-friendly sweetness. There’s also a lovely yellow carrot that is colored as bright yellow as a banana but has a wonderful flavor all its own.

Carrots are the foundation of so many meals, from rich and savory stews to sweet cakes and candies. They can serve as almost any part of a meal as well, including a sweet candied carrot or as the color to a tray of richly roasted vegetables.

International Carrot Day celebrates this root in all its uses, forms and flavors!

How to Celebrate International Carrot Day

Enjoying International Carrot Day is a fairly simple concept that mostly revolves around eating carrots, of course. But other creative ideas can also be thrown into the mix!

Eat Carrots, Carrots, and More Carrots 

The easiest and tastiest way to celebrate International Carrot Day is to make sure that carrots are featured in every meal!

Start the day with a couple of carrot-apple breakfast muffins. Then take along a bag of baby carrots with a bit of ranch dressing for a snack throughout the day. Round out the lunch meal with a slice of delicious carrot cake.

Then, at dinner, enjoy the fundamental flavor of roast vegetables featuring the favorite of the day: the carrot!

Make a Carrot Cake 

A tasty favorite for many, the carrot cake uses this vegetable in a surprising way. Adding spice to the cake and topping it with cream cheese frosting is the perfect way to enjoy and celebrate this versatile vegetable.

Plant Some Carrots 

One great way to honor the carrot is by taking a try at growing some! They’re not a difficult plant to grow, but they do require soil that is in good condition. They can be planted from seed indoors in cooler months and then moved outdoors when the weather is warmer.

Because they tend to grow around rocks and other roots in the soil, home grown carrots may not turn out exactly straight. In fact, it can be fairly entertaining to see what shapes they grow into while hiding underground! No matter what shape they are, they’re sure to be delicious and nutritious.

Throw a Carrot Party 

People who are looking for a place to serve that carrot cake they made might as well go ahead and host a International Carrot Day Party! Gather some friends together and enjoy all of the lovely benefits and tastes of carrots. The menu will obviously be filled with multiple appetizers, snacks, and desserts all including carrots as ingredients.

Don’t forget that Carrot Juice and Carrot Shots are fun ways to ingest this healthy food. For orange-themed drinks that aren’t made of carrots, consider orange soda or soft drinks, just to keep things interesting.

Decorate the room in various orange and green items (balloons, crepe paper, paper goods, etc.) and carrot-themed decor. For even more fun, have guests dress head-to-toe in orange. It might even be fun, for a friend who isn’t highly sensitive about their red ‘carrot-top’ hair, to be the guest of honor!

Visit the Carrot Museum 

Who knew that there was an entire museum dedicated to learning about carrots? And the best thing of all is that it’s accessible to anyone because it’s a Virtual Museum! Hosted by the World Carrot Museum foundation, the online page offers all kinds of opportunities and adventures in carrots. 

Take an interactive tour, learn about the history and evolution of the carrot, see the difference between domesticated and wild carrots, and even discover ancient manuscripts and illustrations that are all related to this venerable veg!

International Carrot Day really is an opportunity for the all-purpose vegetable, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. And a nose for a snowman! Carrots really can do it all!