Purple carrots harvest

This past week, I finally harvested my purple carrots that I planted from seed since this spring in a large planter. Yes I know, they have been in the soil for way too long. I had dug out a couple of these carrots a month ago and gave them to a colleague. But they were still puny at that time so I left the remaining ones in, hoping they'll get a little bigger before I dig them out. According to my colleague, they tasted sweeter than regular carrots from the supermarket. It's pretty late in the season already, being fall and all, and after being in the soil for over 5 months, these tubers were still well...scrawny.

After cleaning and peeling them, they really do sport a deep magenta ring around a bright orange core. I chopped them into little rings and steamed them with rice. The purple pigment leaches off the carrots into the white rice, giving the dish a multi-colored complexion. They were sweet and flavorful and also tasted pretty good raw. Tasting the fruit, or in this case, the root of my labor of love was certainly an unforgettable experience.