Ink & Penstemon

‘Deep Purple’ carrot from Territorial Seed.

How aptly named. It is a dark purple carrot, almost black, with no orange core. Rather, there is a white area around the core which makes for a very pleasing contrast. It is sweet and mild and is a favorite for eating raw. When cooked, the purple leeches out some and reveals some of the orange color in the carrot, but the color remains mostly intact. I have to caution those using this carrot; they should be cooked alone or they will stain every other food item it comes in contact with in a range from faint purple to a morbid gray. I discovered this effect in an unfortunate batch of chicken soup. As you can see in the picture, the purple is very potent. My hands are this color from holding and peeling about five of these carrots. To get the purple off, I had to scrub my hands with a scouring pad. I will wear gloves next time. That being said, this carrot would make an incredible vegetable dye of considerable potency. Despite the staininess, I plan to grow this again. Its color and flavor is a hit with the kiddos.