“Oh my fur and whiskers! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!”

The past few months have called for a lot of learning and reflection. For me, this interest in low-waste responsible living evolved into a passion, and now a lifestyle. An effort to be more aware of the food I consumed resulted in answers to questions I was not ready to ask.

It all started to unravel with carrot tops.

Late last year, I attempted to grow carrot tops that would produce green leaves only to rot within a week. To expand my research, I searched for different varieties of carrots - bagged store-bought vs organic. Only, I could not find organic carrots anywhere, and the store-bought (regardless of temperature) continued the vicious cycle I was stuck in.

That is when I came to the shocking realization. You may not be able to regrow carrots from carrot tops - not because it is not possible, but because it was -made- impossible.

Confusing? Let me explain.

A large variety of our foods are grown with chemical additives to boost their growth rate and are treated with preservatives to prepare them for export. We have seen the effects of this in many of our fruits and veggies today. An obvious example, many are grown with fewer or no seeds, bigger and more vibrant. These additives are not often labeled ‘harmful’ by food industries, but it’s not all good. For carrots, this meant that carrot tops produce shoots that do not produce flowers or seeds. This news uncovered some uncomfortable truths.

Here are two:

1. Organic/homegrown carrots are not easily accessible or available on the market (at least where I live - Trinidad)

2. Store-bought carrots cannot be regrown (specifically the ones in the bags available everywhere - you know the one)

Does this mean these carrots are chemically-treated? One can only assume. Carrots tops are meant to throw shoots that will eventually grow flowers that produce seeds. Hybrid carrots and chem-treated carrots tend to show difficultly during this process.

Possible Solution?

You may be able to grow them yourselves!

On my search for organic carrots, I found untreated carrot seeds.This is the result of 3 weeks of rain and outdoor sun. I will be monitoring these guys to see how this turns out, but so far, so good.

However, all tips on growing carrots from seed are always welcomed and encouraged, so feel free to leave me a comment below!

Carrots are commonly used and encouraged in meals, but it’s surprising to learn more about this staple. I hope this makes us all more conscious of the food we consume.

If you’ve read this far, thank you for going down this rabbit hole with me.

- Live simply ♡

All images are my own. Please request permission before use.