BELMONT, N.Y. — Since last time I have thought of another tradition, this one involving carrots and my Dad. Back when he was young and living on a small farm in Northern Louisiana, he helped out with the chores. (This was more than a century ago.) Fast forward to the 1970s when I had my first really big veggie garden in Almond. Dad had come to visit in the spring and we were out sowing those early crops. That day it was carrots. My rows were a foot apart and I was sprinkling on the seeds keeping in mind that I would thin them eventually to five per foot. Dad stood by leaning on the hoe and said, “Honey, your rows are way too close and you sure are wasting a lot of seed.” Now, how do you tactfully correct your father?
Sixty years before, the family workhorse had ploughed and tilled the carrot patch so rows had to be at least two to three feet apart – what a waste of space. (This is the same horse that he and his sisters rode bareback to school only to then release the smart animal to amble back home; the kids then walked back at the end of the day!)
The carrots Dad grew were not what we know as carrots. They were not even people food, rather grown to feed the livestock, especially the pigs. They (the carrots) were big, fat and short! They did need to be a foot apart in the row.
Then came plant breeding! The slim, long, sweet and crunchy carrot you munch on today is a far cry from pig food of a century ago.
The tail end of this saga involves me, of all people, spreading false news. I read that research in World War II discovered the wonders of Vitamin A and its ability to enhance night vision – hence the Royal Air Force (RAF) force feeding carrots to its pilots to increase their shoot-down numbers. I told this to my grandson, Jordan, and he spread it to his friends.
But – the truth? It was the Brits’ discovery of radar and not carrots which was responsible! But they wanted that kept secret so…. I guess propaganda and lies are nothing new. Our carrots are, though, thanks to the scientific efforts of our plant breeders. Plant some early; harvest and munch away.
–M. L. Wells
Cornell Cooperative Extension Allegany County