Nantes

Nantes carrots are a French heirloom dating to the mid-to-late 19th century, its name tracing to the Atlantic port city of Nantes, a region whose gentle coastal climate and light, sandy soils suited the type well. The roots are long, lean, and cylindrical, forming a pointed tip when young that blunts as the carrot matures, growing deep orange with a crisp, sweet, almost coreless flesh. This blunt-tipped, near-cylindrical form became the founding type for an entire family of more than forty Nantes selections, including Scarlet Nantes, Nantes Half Long, and Nantes Coreless. Its consistently sweet, finely textured flesh has led many gardeners to regard it as a benchmark for fresh-eating carrots.

Nantes carrots suit soups, roasts, and salads, and their sweetness comes through especially well when cooked with butter; eaten raw or cooked, they also contribute vitamins and minerals to a dish.

Nantes carrots mature at least a week earlier than most other varieties, making them suited to both spring and fall plantings, and their fast growth also makes them a good choice for early crops raised under glass in late winter. As typical summer carrots, they hold well in the ground without turning woody, and a light frost before harvest sweetens the roots by converting stored starches to sugar. They perform best in loose, stone-free soil with consistent moisture, and because their medium length needs less depth than longer carrots, they suit average garden soil or raised beds; they also tolerate heavier soils better than most other carrot types.

Nantes carrots reached the United States through seed catalogues around 1870, and they have remained a staple of European markets and home gardens ever since.