Introducing Kids Licks Sour Carrot Orange!

If you grow your own, you know that there’s nothing like pulling on a leafy stalk and watching the rich soil fall away to reveal a gorgeous, organic orange carrot. So sweet and delicious, we love them in our baking, as fresh juice or au naturel. Their vibrant color and delectable taste are why we decided to make carrots one of the stars of our organic, edible nail polish (but with a fun sour candy twist!)

Just like carrots, our Kid Licks Sour Orange Carrot nail polish gets its vibrant hue from an abundance of carotenes. Modern carrots (unlike their lighter and even white historical ancestors) have the greatest amount of beta-carotene out of any vegetable or fruit. The reason we don’t turn orange when we eat them (despite whatever tall tales you tell your kids to get them to eat their veggies) most of the carotenes are metabolized into vitamin A, giving more than 100% of our daily intake in one recommended serving size. They’re also rich in vitamin K and B6. It’s this combination that makes them so good for the eyes: vitamin A is an integral part of building healthy eyes and keeping our vision sharp. Vitamin A also keeps bones and nails strong. Carrots also have smaller amounts of gamma-carotene, sigma-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Just like beta-carotene, these act as powerful antioxidants, helping keep our cells strong.

The organic carrots in our Sour Orange Carrot are harvested right here in our home state. One of the many benefits of locally sourcing our ingredients is California’s reputation for producing great organic food. That means to legally be called organic, a carrot has to adhere to some pretty high standards. California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the United States Department of Food and Agriculture (USDA) demand that an Organic Certifying Agent (OCA) inspect your practices, materials and the crops to guarantee their strict standards are being met. An OCA confirms that each farm produces crops that are free from pesticides, fertilizer, bioengineering, radiation, and hormones. They also make sure that the farm is using sustainable practices. By conserving water, soil and air, organic farmers are making great produce and protecting the environment just for generations to come.

Growing organic isn’t easy. Carrots especially have loads of natural enemies: flies, wireworms and let’s not forget four-legged fauna. Without pesticides, bioengineering and other tricks of the trade it’s difficult to imagine how farmers can get their goods to our tables (and nail polishes) while keeping their organic certification. Have no fear: Organic Farmers know what they’re doing. Centuries old tricks of the trade include intercropping, rotation, and releasing natural predators such as ladybugs. Intercropping is when you plant a pest-repelling crop near another as a bodyguard and repellant or when you plant a wide variety of crops close together. By partnering one kind of crop with another, you’re using natural repellants and attractants to order to deter some pests or lure them away. Crop rotation is when a single crop is rotated for another annually; this prevents harmful insects from making one plant their permanent home. Just like with crop rotation, bugs like wireworms never settle in one place, making it easier to cultivate a good-sized harvest.

If you’re anything like our family and you can’t get enough carrot, we can’t wait for you to try our Sour Orange Carrot nail polish.