Winter carrot Berlikumer 2 is an organically grown carrot variety. It's a deliciously sweet, slender and long carrot. It may take longer to grow than other carrot varieties, but its excellent flavour and storability make it more than worth the effort. Harvest this carrot from September through November. Store the carrot in a frost-free and dark place (see the sowing instructions). You can also blanch the carrot briefly and then freeze it(see the sowing instructions).
Carrot is a very healthy and versatile vegetable. Carrot contains: vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B11 and C. Carrot also contains the minerals: calcium, phosphorus, iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, sodium and zinc. Carrots are also high in fibre and low in calories. You can boil, steam, stew, bake, wok, grill, eat raw as a healthy snack and cook in the oven. Carrot tastes delicious in combination with: chicken, beef, salmon, bay leaf, thyme, pork, lamb, nuts, apple, eggs, potatoes, lime, cinnamon, cumin, red pepper, turmeric, cheese, horseradish, onions, chives and cream. Carrots also taste great with other vegetables such as: peppers, lettuce, leeks, peas, mushrooms, celery, tomatoes, courgettes and spring onions. You can also add carrots to soups, pasta sauces, stews and salads. Non hardy annual. Size: 20 - 25 cm.
Outdoor sowing: March - end of May
Germination: 6 - 14 days
Germinationtemperature: 13 - 20 °C
Sowing depth: ½ - 1 cm
Planting distance: 5 - 10 cm
Row spacing: 20 - 25 cm
Thinning of the seedlings: 2 - 3 weeks after germination
Plant position: sunny
Harvest period: September - November
Sow outdoors under cover from March on. Don't sow carrots indoors in trays because transplanting of the seedlings can cause splitting of the roots. Sow sparingly and cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Cover the soil with fleece and some transparent perforated plastic foil. Keep the soil moist and remove the fleece and perforated plastic foil each day for about 15 minutes to air the seeds. Remove the fleece and plastic foil when the seedlings have emerged. Thin the seedlings to 5 cm for thin varieties and 10 cm for winter carrots.
Sow outdoors from April on, when there's no longer any danger of nightfrost. Sow on a sunny plot with freedraining soil and loosen the soil about 25 - 30 cm deep to help the carrots to grow straight and to a good size. Don't use extra fertilizer because this causes the carrots to become hairy and forked. Carrot seeds are very tiny and dark so it is important to mark the sowing spot.
Thin the seedlings 2 - 3 weeks after germination to about 5 - 10 cm apart. Water the carrots regularly and weed often to make sure that the carrots grow on. Harvest the carrots with a pitch fork. Harvest a row of carrots at the same time, because harvesting can attract the carrotfly. Carrots can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days. They can be frozen to store. You need to blanch the carrots before freezing. To blanch: cut the carrots into small pieces and blanch them for about 2 minutes. Cool the pieces of carrot direct after blanching in cold water with ice cubes. After this, the carrots can be frozen. In this way they can be stored for a longer time. You can store winter carrots also by putting them in wooden boxes filled with moist sand. For this, the foliage of the carrots must be twisted off. Start with a layer of sand in the wooden box, then 1 layer of carrots and then sand again. Finish with a layer of sand. Beware of mice. Store the wooden boxes with carrots in a dark, frost-free, cool place.
