What could have caused this pattern in these carrots?

Posted by davidhampshire@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 58 comments

I work at a homeless shelter / soup kitchen and whilst cutting up several donated carrots I found that each of the carrots had this strange pattern going through the entire carrot?

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MountainMuffin1980@reddit

Happens when the carrot starts to dry out a bit. It's harmless and fine to eat.

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johnaross1990@reddit

Noo it’s the holes left by the Diamond Hole Worm, so called because of the holes it chomps through carrots

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MadJen1979@reddit

Yeah - Mavis Cruet from Willo The Wisp

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HungryBrain26@reddit

Or the offspring of an Alaskan bull worm!

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davidhampshire@reddit (OP)

Makes sense.. thank you, had us all complexed

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Meta-Fox@reddit

I'm sorry to hear about your sudden bout of psychological issues. Thoughts and prayers to you all.

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Moonindaylite@reddit

Looks like you’ve been trying to make snowflakes out of them

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rileyvace@reddit

It happens because the carrot's fibers contracts and pull toward a certain point.

It's dried out, but only in the phloem.

Here's one that's gotten too wet while growing.

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ShareParking1100@reddit

Literally about to type “carrot designed by Giger”

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blue_jay_buey@reddit

The planetary alignment @ the moment of germination.. you're welcome.

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Background_Ad5513@reddit

no one’s going to question that they’re not peeled?

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luckeratron@reddit

Amazing the two answers contradict each other haha.

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Due-Two-6592@reddit

I think both answers have some truth, I think it that they’re drying out but it’s more likely to happen in carrots that have had uneven moisture while growing, like splitting in tomatoes

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CumGuzlinGutterSluts@reddit

Too wet

Too dry

We may have lost our minds

Forever carrot

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Being too wet followed by too dry would also make sense. They swell due to excess water absorption, then when drying out develop the cracks because there's no longer enough water to support the shape.

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buy_me_lozenges@reddit

Don't plant your kaleidoscopes with your carrots, OK

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majestic_spiral@reddit

You’ve accidentally grown poker chips

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catalyst4chaos@reddit

Dehydration. They're fine to eat.

Also contradictory to this, to much moisture.

Normally if the temperature is wrong in the fridge, it's creates more moisture and can make the carrots sweat, especially if you leave them in the bag. I don't know the science behind it, but both can cause this.

Not sure how it works with the dehydrated part, either something to do with them drying out when they're pulled out the ground or sitting on the shelf to long.

It's a cool thing though, I think it's called an oxymoron when you get something contradictory like this.

Anyway, looks cool, but fine to eat. Extra points for nature making the food look nice.

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Commercial-Gas-Group@reddit

What you’re seeing are the natural vascular structures inside the carrot (the xylem/phloem), sometimes combined with a bit of growth stress or minor internal splitting. When carrots grow quickly or unevenly

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PoppingPillls@reddit

Can happen if the carrot gets too cold and it forms ice crystals inside.

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SpaceWormsFromSpace@reddit

Aliens

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davidhampshire@reddit (OP)

Magnets?

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WillWatsof@reddit

Alien magnets.

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this_wug_life@reddit

Yeah bitch, magnets!

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Shot-Bet-3963@reddit

A whitch

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BoatInternational196@reddit

10 carrot diamond

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AdiDabiDoo@reddit

dry them out and put them in resin! they're so pretty!

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omghiemma@reddit

Elsa

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No_Dentist7778@reddit

They look like really good carved carrots you used to get in chinese meals

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DemonKing_of_Tyranny@reddit

Nature

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Crayon_Casserole@reddit

Was it in a box?

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davidhampshire@reddit (OP)

No mate just a cardboard sleeve, about 50 carrots and maybe 1/3 of them came out like this, but there was no difference in how a carrot with the pattern looked against one that didn't

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