Above ground, the fine leaves grow up to 20 inches (50 cm) tall.
The carrot itself is orangey-pink, with a fine texture, and a complex flavour that is not too sweet, and has no bitterness.
St Valery Carrots can’t be mechanically harvested, so have fallen out of favour commercially.
50 to 80 days from seed.
History Notes
St Valery Carrots originated in France. Some date the carrot back to the 1600s. [1] But whenever it dates from, it really only gained widespread recognition in France starting in the 1880s, being promoted by the Vilmorin-Andrieux et cie seed company. [2]
Introduced into America by James Vick and Sons Company of Rochester, New York in 1885.
Language Notes
Aka Carrot of Amiens, Carrot of Boulogne, Long Red Surrey, New Red Intermediate, Carotte Longue Rouge de Saint-Valery
Sources
[1] «Saint-Valéry»: peau et chair orange. Grosse carotte aux origines lointaines (autour des années 1600) dont l’appellation courante est «Carotte rouge de Saint-Valéry». Gingra, Pierre. Carottes de toutes les couleurs au menu. Montreal, Quebec: La Presse. le 28 Juin 2007.
[2] “Cette belle variété de carotte est restée longtemps confinée dans son pays d’origine. “Vilmorin-Andrieux et cie. Les Plantes potagères: description et culture des principaux légumes des climats tempérés. Vilmorin-Andrieux, 1883. Page 67.
Daucus carota L. – Carrot Entry in : EU Common catalogue of varieties of vegetable species. 2 July 2010.
