So, I saw a woman selling vegetables streetside near the intersection of HongshanDong and Nan lu. What caught my eye were these really red carrots. I bought some to try, and ended up eating them straight just after peeling. Really sweet and crisp.
sorry if it's an ignorant question, but are that genetically modified or what?
I think they are just a different cultivar. There is a pretty wide variety of pumpkins here as well.
Back home we have got used to seeing just one or two main cultivars of each vegetable, those that best yields and suit the needs of the retailers. Even if we grow from seed, there is a limited selection, based on commercial decisions.
As my old dad used to say, the really ugly varieties of fruit and veg always tastes better.
Some fifteen years ago I had a problem describing the colour orange to my Chinese colleague. Orange as in orange the fruit didn't work because at that time all oranges sold in Kunming were green. Describing it as orange as in carrots didn't work either because at the time all carrots in Kunming were red.
Just wandered the other day were all the red carrots have gone. The orange cultivar probably grows faster and has a higher yield per acreage. Not surprising the red ones tasted better.
There are several carrots that we would refer to as "Heirloom" cultivars. Several are available in Kunming, the Red type is the most common non standard. They are best eaten cold or fried. They seem to break down at a much more rapid rate than the standard orange ones so beware of over cooking (This is from the small sample size of my personal experience). They do seem to caramelize quite well though.
Sometimes you can also get Purple or White carrots as well.
Parkson sometimes have these on sale but, as with brussels sprout, there is no consistent supply. Certainly not enough to keep up with demand.
I think the red ones are seasonal. This would explain the lack of consistent supply.
There are brussel sprouts in Kunming?
Apart from Metro, are there places in the Center or the North selling brussel sprouts?
