Chantenay Red Cored carrots are popular for the home vegetable garden and great for canning and freezing. They grow blunt, blocky, tapered roots that are 5" to 6" long, and are deep reddish orange all the way through. The fine-grained flesh is crisp and sweet.
The origin of carrots is somewhat obscure, but early records from many civilizations refer to this colorful root. Carrots fulfilled medicinal purposes for thousands of years, being used for maladies as diverse as indigestion and cancer. The 19th century seed specialist Louis de Vilmorin introduced the French varieties of carrot such as Nantes and Chantenay, which both derive their names from their places of origin. After World War I, carrots became extremely popular in the United States, and are now produced commercially mostly in Texas, Michigan, and California.