And are they really babies?
There were still tiny carrots to be found.
Turns Out, Baby Carrots Are Not Babies at All
But I digress.
Photo: Getty Images
Because the baby carrots that fill today’s produce aisles are not actually babies at all.
So, what is the deal with all these “baby carrots”?
Who Invented the Baby Carrot?
Farmer Mike Yurosek in California is widely credited with inventing the baby carrot in the early 1980s.
Not the ACTUAL baby carrotMother Nature did thatbut the “baby carrots” we see marketed today.
Yurosek noticed that a lot of his carrot crop was less than conventionally attractive by carrot standards.
Still tasty and nutritious, but not exactly lookers.
Which made them not really useful for commercial applications.
No one is out shopping for the “good personality” carrots on the dinner table.
But not wanting to waste perfectly good, if slightly misshapen, carrots, he had an idea.
And the “baby” carrot was born.
Its shape is so different from a full-size carrot because it’s actually just a piece of a carrot.
And once launched, these little stout crunchy kids were an instant hit.
Fast healthy snacking, quick dinner side dish, best pal to hummus and onion dip alike.
These days it’s estimated that the majority of carrot sales are in “baby” form.
Why Do Baby Carrots Sometimes Taste So Different from Regular Carrots?
So baby carrots are also often made with older carrots.
Store them in their bag in the fridge until you open them.
They are great for pickling or purees.
If your carrots get slimy, fuzzy or stinky, though, they have to go.
