NYT Strands Reveals 6 Theme Answers for August 11 Puzzle #891

Q: What hidden botanical inaccuracy did the puzzle creators slip into today's summer harvest word grid?

The hidden inaccuracy was **CARROT**. In a puzzle framed as a **“summer harvest”** and “Fresh from the market,” the other answers fit classic warm-season produce: corn, tomato, melon, zucchini and pepper are all commonly associated with summer harvests. Carrots, however, are generally a **cool-season root crop**. Gardening guides typically place them in spring or fall production, and they often develop best flavor and texture in cooler weather rather than peak summer heat. That does not mean carrots can never appear at a summer market. Depending on planting date and local climate, they can be harvested in early or even mid-summer. But in botanical and gardening terms, they are not usually grouped with standard **summer crops** the way tomatoes, peppers, melons, corn and zucchini are. So the puzzle’s subtle slip was not that carrot is botanically a fruit or vegetable issue, but that it was presented as part of a **summer harvest set** when it is more accurately a **cool-season crop**.

3 articles · Updated · CNET · Aug 10

Six theme words and the spangram for Strands puzzle #891 were disclosed for the Aug. 11 game, with CORN, TOMATO, MELON, ZUCCHINI, PEPPER and CARROT tied to the theme “Fresh from the market.”
SUMMERHARVEST is the spangram, stretching across the grid; the report says it starts at the S five letters down on the far-left vertical row.
Three words of four letters or more unlock one in-game hint, and the article lists sample finds including COME, ROAM, REST, VEST, NEST and LEMON.
A second clue — “How does your garden grow?” — points solvers toward seasonal produce, with all board letters used once every theme word is found.