Did You Know. . .

that before the 17th century, almost all carrots were purple?  The orange carrot of today wasn't cultivated until the late 1500s.  The Dutch growers took mutant strains of the purple carrot along with the yellow and white carrot and gradually developed the orange carrot that we enjoy now.

that you can actually have orange skin from eating too many orange carrots?

that the part of the carrot (the root) that we consume today, was not the typical part eaten in ancient times?  The seeds and leaves were what was valued long ago due to their medicinal properties.  One example is that the King of Pontius (100 BC) had a recipe containing carrot seeds that counteracted certain poisons.  It has been proven that this recipe actually works.

that there is a real carrot tree?  It is native to Madeira.

that the largest carrot ever grown weighed 19 pounds?  (That would take up a good part of my refrigerator!)  It was grown in Palmer, Alaska by John Evans in 1998.