White Carrot Information

White carrot is essentially a regular carrot without the orange pigmentation. White carrot can be an heirloom or hybrid cultivar. It is frequently confused with parsnips due to the close resemblance between them. White carrot is one of the five main carrot varieties, which are orange, yellow, red and purple/black carrots. Furthermore, the white carrot is one of more than 100 varieties of carrots grown worldwide. It is cultivated in a similar fashion as the well known orange carrot. In addition, it is easy for home gardeners to grow.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The white carrot is a root vegetable and bona fide member of genus Daucus with as many as 40 species. It is an heirloom variety belonging to the Umbelliferea (Apiaceae) family.

The botanical name of carrot is Daucus carota ssp. sativus. Thus, save for the lack of pigmentation, white carrots are similar in almost every aspect to orange, yellow, red and purple carrots. As aptly put by the University of California Cooperative Extension, carrots are not only orange.

Nonetheless, the nutritional value that each color brings to the table varies. Furthermore, white carrots are part of a steady health conscious driven trend involving rainbow carrots which are colorful and attractive.

This feature explores and explains white carrots in detail. We consider sources of white carrot seeds, origins of the cultivar, varieties involved, health benefits and applications after harvest. Also of interest is the ongoing mix-up between white carrots and parsnips, another root vegetable which shares family membership with carrots.

Where to Find the Seeds

Since white carrot is easy to grow in the home garden, many home growers are interested in getting their hands on the seeds of this variety. White carrot seed can be purchased online or collected from existing carrot plants. The following sections provide additional information on both options.

Commercial Seeds

Depending on time of the year one is reading this information, specialty plant seeds may or may not be in season. For that reason, online availability of seeds (not only white carrot seeds), tend to be a seasonal matter. Some seeds have on and off seasons on the market.

Example online store system for *out-of-stock* seeds notifications

However, some online stores allow setting up notifications for when off season seeds become available. This is a good option, when available, to utilize.

The following are our suggested sources of white carrot seeds online.

Picture showing carrot snow white variety

Saving Seed

Carrot seeds flowering during second season.

Apart from buying commercial seeds, white carrot seeds can also be obtained through saving seed. However, the actual process of saving seed spans over a period of two years. This is because carrots are biennial plants. This is to say they require two full seasons to complete their life cycle from germination to seed production.

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, carrots in general are harder to save seed from due to this two season factor. Furthermore, the seeds may need special treatment before storage. Saving seed is thus not for everyone. Although challenging, when successfully done, saving seed will avail thousands upon thousands of the desired white carrot seed.

Nonetheless, in order to collect seed from white carrots (or any carrot cultivar), the carrots are not harvested until the second season in order to set seed. They remain in the ground over winter and start flowering in spring. Cold weather is what triggers the flowering. This is confirmed by Utah State University Yard and Garden Extension which states that “carrots require cold weather (chilling) to form flowers”.

In addition, open-pollinated rather than hybrid white carrot varieties are recommended for saving seed. This is because the offspring (F2) of hybrid varieties will not be identical to the parent (F1) which has its own set of disadvantages.

Open-pollinated varieties are typically white carrot heirlooms. However, they seem outnumbered in availability by hybrid types. Oregon State University Extension notes that most carrot seeds in the United States are hybrid. This therefore calls for careful selection of variety for saving seed to ensure that only heirloom cultivars are used for seed.

If interested in the general idea of saving seed across plants, this article, An Introduction to Seed Saving for the Home Gardener, is a useful easy to follow resource by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Finally, this write-up (follow link) explains the steps to follow in saving carrot seed. The steps discussed in the article are perfectly applicable to white carrots.

How to Collect White Carrot Seeds (Video)

Alternatively, this video presents step-by-step how to go about saving carrot seed. The method demonstrated in this video is applicable on all carrot varieties.

Origins of White Carrot

Afghanistan, primary center of diversity of the carrot.

According to an expert article published in 2011 in the journal Chronica Horticulturae Vol. 51 number 2 by the International Society for Horticultural Science, the carrot in its wild form has its origins in Europe and Asia.

However, it was in Afghanistan, south Asia, where it was first domesticated before spreading back to Europe, the Mediterranean, and the rest of Asia. Afghanistan is thus considered the primary center of diversity of the carrot.

Furthermore, according to Shelby Ellison, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, prior to domestication, the carrot was white. This suggests that the white carrot is as old as the carrot itself. According to the publication Chronica Horticulturae, the orange carrot, most people are accustomed to today, was only developed through human selection in the Netherlands at a later time.

Chronica Horticulturae further suggests that although the white carrot has always been, the “modern carrot appears to derive from a combination of mutation and selection from a complex gene pool”. However, today it is the norm for new carrot varieties to develop through intentional breeding in search of certain characteristics in a similar fashion as purple potatoes, for example.

Overall, the world is beholden to Afghanistan for the propagation of the carrot globally.

Parsnips Vs White Carrot

Parsnips and white carrots are not the same vegetable. The past and present of white carrot identification is largely characterized by some concerning level of confusion. Parsnips have been taken for white carrots. This has also been due to the erroneous interchangeable use of the names, suggesting the two vegetables are one and the same. Apart from this, white carrot has also been confused for Daikon as demonstrated by this social media post.

Botanist Lewis E. Sturtevant’s work written in the 1800s and finally edited for publication by U.P Hedrick in 1919, highlights that there were early problems associated with the identification of parsnip and carrot.

A clear distinction only came about in 1753 with the publication of Species Plantarum by Carl Linnaeus, the revered father of modern taxonomy. Linnaeus’s scientific name for carrots became Daucus carota and that of parsnips, Pastinaca sativa. This clearly separated the two. The two are different species although they belong to the same family – the Umbelliferae (Apiaceae).

Despite this official scientific distinction, the prevalent interchangeable use of the names has continued to fuel confusion. One of the reasons is that parsnips and white carrots have significant resemblance. They are both sweet, generally slender, woody and have a whitish or ivory color in appearance when mature.

The White Satin Carrot, for example, is one particular variety that is easily confused for parsnips due to its ivory color that resembles that of parsnips. It is only through closer inspection that the difference becomes obvious particularly in their fronds.

Although parsnips can be described more as creamy colored, while white carrot is generally white, the close appearance in color remains an effortless and ongoing source of mistaken identity. Nonetheless, parsnips and white carrots are not one and the same vegetable.

White Carrot Varieties

There are multiple white carrot cultivars, heirlooms and hybrids with more being developed. The following are some of the white carrot varieties available.

White Carrot Health Benefits

So typically, the color of the carrot that you’re eating, …directly corresponds with the nutritional value or the nutritional compound found in that carrot.
– S. Ellison, UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

Going by this statement by Shelby Ellison, the increasingly popular Rainbow Blend consisting of orange, yellow, red, purple/black and white carrots is in fact a nutritional statement.

According to Ellison, the orange carrot is high in alpha and beta-carotene, yellow is high in lutein and xanthophyll, red high in lycopene and purple high in anthocyanins. Black carrots, just like purple carrots are high in anthocyanins. Each of these compounds have specific health related benefits.

However, the white carrots which lack pigmentation are high in fiber and offer little nutritional benefits at least in comparison to the other pigmented carrot varieties.

Although the white carrot is thought to be the least nutritionally beneficial, the fiber in the carrot is relevant to a healthy diet. According to the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospitals fiber has a scrub brush effect on the intestines which reduces the risk of colon cancer. It “brushes off” accumulated bacteria in the gut which is beneficial to overall gut health and well-being.

Other fiber benefits in the body include blood sugar management through slower sugar absorption into the bloodstream and soft, regular bowel movements which is beneficial against constipation.

Furthermore, white carrot is a viable alternative for individuals with Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS). Beta-carotene is an identified offending pigment in orange carrots related to OAS. White carrot, therefore, becomes a suitable alternative to the common orange carrot with the distressing carotene.

In summary, white carrot health benefits are minimal in comparison to the other carrot pigmented varieties. The lack of pigmentation is the main reason. The fiber available in white carrots, while beneficial to health, can easily be found in other fruits and vegetables without need for white carrot consumption.

However, perhaps the more outstanding benefit is the usefulness of white carrot as a carotene-free alternative to the common carotene-rich orange carrot. This is a convincing health benefit for individuals with carotene related allergies, for example.

White Carrot Uses

Although carrots, in general, can serve as an energy source in cow diets, for example, the primary use for white carrot is human consumption. White carrot is used in stir-fries, salads, roasts and grills, cooking and for juicing.

For health benefits, it can be used along side other carrot or vegetable varieties Essentially, where orange carrot or any other carrot variety appears in a recipe it could fairly easily be replaced by white carrot. This makes white carrot as applicable as there are applications of regular orange carrot.

Simple White Carrot Juice Recipe

This recipe makes a simple blended juice out of white carrots. A blender instead of juicer is deliberately used here in order to preserve the fiber that is found in the carrots. This is juicing vs blending. As mentioned earlier under white carrot health benefits, fiber is the main nutritional value to de derived from white carrot. By blending, it is preserved and not lost as happens when a juicer instead of blender is use.

Ingredients

8 Full Size White Carrots

Directions

First prepare the carrots by cutting off the leaves and any green shoulders. Proceed to thoroughly wash the white carrots under running water.
Take a blender and blend the carrots.
Garnish your blended juice as desired and serve as a snack or refreshment.

Conclusion

White carrot is a legitimate Daucus carota ssp. sativus in a similar fashion as the common orange carrot that much of the world is used to. White carrot is differentiated from the common carrot due to a lack of pigmentation. There is a growing interest in this carrot driven by the popularity of the so called Rainbow Blend which is an array of carrot colors such as purple and red. On a health scale, white carrot offers very limited health benefits due to the apparent lack of pigmentation. It is however a viable alternative to orange carrot for individuals with allergies. Being similar to other carrots in all other aspects, white carrot is also applicable in a wide range of culinary preparations

Recommended Reading:

	Carrot Snow White Try Amazon Open-pollinated, non-GMO heirloom seeds by David’s Garden Seeds. Hand picked seeds. 80% germination rate and 80 days to harvest.
	Lunar White Carrot Try Amazon Open- pollinated, non-GMO heirloom seeds by David’s Garden Seeds. Hand picked seeds. Ready for harvest in 65 days and has a 80%+ germination rate.
	White Satin Carrot West Coast Seeds Hybrid seeds producing 25cm (10″) long cylindrical roots with unique crisp texture, and juicy flavor. Modern white carrot variety bred to produce uniformity and flavor. Easy to grow with a huge yield. Matures in 65 days.
	Rainbow Blend West Coast Seeds Carrot seeds to grow purple, white, red, and orange carrots all at once. The blend has a mixture of hybrid and open-pollinated seeds. Matures in 75-110 days.

Item	Description
	Lunar White Carrot Heirloom This is an open-pollinated heirloom white carrot variety with a sweet, mild flavor. The carrot is uniquely white with green shoulders and has a nearly coreless center. The Lunar White Carrot turns very sweet when cooked. It is harvested in 65 days, slightly shorter than the regular orange carrot. It has a germination rate of at least 80% according to David’s Garden Seeds based in the United States.
	White Satin Carrot Hybrid This is a hybrid variety that matures in 65 days. When mature its roots grow as long as 25cm or 10 inches with a cylindrical shape with crisp texture. The White Satin Carrot, was bred to produce uniform roots and a superior flavor. It has a tightly close resemblance to parsnips due to its parsnip-like ivory-white color.
	Carrot Snow White Heirloom This is an open-pollinated, non-GMO, heirloom variety that is hand packed by David’s Garden Seeds in the U.S. The variety is ready for harvest in 80 days. It has a creamy-white texture in appearance when mature. It has a germination rate of at least 80%.