Daucus carota subsp. sativus.
One of the most famous orange carrots in the world, and arguably the French variety par excellence. Originally from the Nantes region in the Pays de la Loire, where market gardeners in the 19th century selected a carrot type perfectly suited to the sandy soils of the Loire estuary — short, straight, cylindrical, blunt at both ends, with smooth tender skin. The "Coreless" (Sans Cœur) variant is a modern improvement on the traditional line, selected to minimize as far as possible the more fibrous, less sweet central core most carrots carry, until it becomes practically indistinguishable from the surrounding flesh. The result: a carrot nearly uniform in texture, sweet right through the core, tender from tip to top.
Roots 15-20 cm long, straight and cylindrical, with vivid bright-orange skin and fine, juicy flesh — particularly sweet and crisp. The perfect carrot when texture matters: eaten raw in sticks, finely grated into a Dijon-style carotte râpée (carrot + mustard vinaigrette + parsley), butter-glazed with a touch of maple syrup as a delicate garnish, or harvested young as "baby carrots" for hors d'oeuvres. Excellent steamed too, in a whole bunch with the green tops trimmed short — the classic French bistro presentation. A particularly subtle and refined flavour that has made it, for 150 years, the favourite of cooks who pay attention to detail.
Grower's tip: Nantaise loves sandy or loamy soils — light, deep — its straight cylindrical shape doesn't forgive stony or compacted ground, which makes it fork or deform. For heavy soils, loosen deeply (30 cm), add sand and compost, or opt for well-prepared raised beds. Like all carrots, slow germination (14-21 days) — keep moist until emergence. For particularly tender, sweet roots, harvest before full maturity: Nantaise carrots at 12-15 cm taste better than those left to grow to maximum size, which can develop a slight fibrousness at the end of their cycle.
- Open-pollinated. Biennial — flowering only occurs in the second year (overwinter for seed production).
- Top height: 30-40 cm.
- Maturity: 65-75 days.
- Exposure: full sun.
- Loose, deep soil (25-30 cm), sandy to loamy, free of stones or fresh manure. Thin to 5 cm.
- Direct-sow as soon as the soil can be worked (late April/early May in Québec), in successive rows every 3-4 weeks until mid-July to stretch the harvest. A late sowing in late July is possible for fall harvest and winter storage.
