Not All Carrots Are Orange

 We talked last week about growing beets. Today we have advice about growing another root vegetable, carrots. 

上星期我们讨论了甜菜的生长，今天，我们来讨论另外一种根菜即胡萝卜的生长。 

Carrots are easy to raise and easy to harvest. They taste good. And they contain a lot of carotene, which the body makes into vitamin A. 

胡萝卜易于种植也易于收获，而且味道鲜美，富含胡萝卜素，补充身体所需的维他命 A 。 

When people think of carrots, they usually picture in their mind a vegetable that is long, thin and orange. But carrots come in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange. For example, Paris Market carrots are about five centimeters around.Imperator carrots are thin and about twenty-five centimeters long.And Belgian White carrots are, as their name suggests, white. 

一提起胡萝卜，人们的脑海里往往会出现一种又长又细，橙色的蔬菜形象。但其实胡萝卜的大小和形状不尽相同，而且并不是所有的胡萝卜都是桔黄色的。比如说，巴黎市场上的胡萝卜周长约 5 公分 ，古罗马的胡萝卜是细长的，长约 25 公分 ，比利时的白胡萝卜一如它们的命名，是白色的。 

For the best results, carrots should be grown in sandy soil that does not hold water for a long time. The soil also should have no rocks. 

为了达到最佳的种植结果，胡萝卜应该生长在沙质土壤中，且长期不能含水，土壤中也不能有岩石。 

To prepare your garden for carrots, dig up the soil, loosen it and turn it over. Then, mix in some plant material or animal fertilizer. 

准备种植胡萝卜的菜园，开挖土壤，松动并翻动它，然后混合入一些植物肥或动物肥。 

Weather, soil conditions and age will affect the way carrots taste. Experts say warm days, cool nights and a medium soil temperature are the best conditions for growing carrots that taste great. 

天气、土壤状况及土壤年份将会影响胡萝卜的味道。专家称白天温暖、夜间凉爽的天气环境加上适中的土壤温度是种植口感良好的胡萝卜的最佳条件。 

Carrots need time to develop their full sugar content. This gives them their taste. If they are harvested too early, they will not have enough sugar. But carrots loose their sweetness if you wait too long to pull them from the ground. 

胡萝卜需要时间来发展它们的全部含糖量，从而使之口感清甜，如果太早收获的话，胡萝卜还没有达到充足的含糖量，但太晚收获的话，又会损失糖分。 

The best way to judge if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the brighter the color, the better the taste. 

判断胡萝卜是否合适收获的最佳方法就是根据它的颜色，通常来说，颜色越鲜亮，味道越好。 

Many people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow and harvest carrots the same way as during the summer months. If the ground does freeze in your part of the world, simply cover your carrot garden with a thick layer of leaves or straw. This will prevent the ground from freezing. You can remove the ground cover and harvest the carrots as they are needed. 

很多人都不知道胡萝卜可以在冬季生长，如果冬天天气不会冷到地表结冻的话，也可以按照夏天一样的生长方式进行或萝卜种植和收获。但如果在你的地区，冬季地表结冻的话，仅仅只需要用一层厚厚的树叶或稻草盖住胡萝卜菜园即可。这种方法可以防止地表结冻。收获胡萝卜的时候，你可以根据需要移开地表的覆盖物。 

Carrots are one of the world's most popular vegetables. They can be cooked and prepared many different ways. Or, once they are washed, they can be eaten just as they come out of the ground. 

胡萝卜是世界上最收欢迎的蔬菜之一，有多种方式进行烹饪以及准备（食用），即使刚刚从地里采摘的胡萝卜，只要经过清洗，即可食用。