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WHY TWISTED CARROT?
Imperfections can be awesome! We are used to going to the grocery store and selecting the most perfect looking produce. However, if you take a trip to the local farmer's market, the contrast is quite clear. You will encounter far less uniform options. This is because your local farmer is growing more heirloom varieties and won't discard a fruit or vegetable just because it has a little imperfection. Growing conditions and pests can alter the appearance of produce without impacting the flavor or nutritional value.
Carrots are a great example. When they grow too close together, they will intertwine with each other, hence the "twisted carrot." Sometimes one carrot will grow two or more storage roots, which can also twist together. Root veggies are particularly cool, since you can't tell what's been going on beneath the surface until you unearth them.
My "ah ha" farming moment happened during my first carrot harvest. Pulling carrots out of the ground made me feel like a kid again, experiencing food and nature in a brand new way. Having only ever encountered carrots in grocery store bags, never knowing what their leaves look like or how expressive they can be, my mind was truly blown. This moment will always stick with me. It's why I have a twisted carrot tattooed on my arm, and it's why I called my farm Twisted Carrot Farm!
The twisted carrot is a symbol of connectivity. We need to be connected to our food so that we understand not just the ingredient but also its source and how it arrived on our plate. It is important to know the systems, both natural and manmade, that created it. This understanding is what propels us to choose local responsibly grown food!