Goji berries & potatoes

[ChrisB]

What happens when you cook these blue potatoes, do they still look blue when you go to eat them or does the colour disappear?

[ian mcenery]

Chris I agree with the others Pink fir apple is an excellent late potato that tastes like an early. I am going to try Home guard this year as the other variety as I too am fed up with the poor performance of some of the more modern varieties.

I haven't tried the star trek coloured ones and would appreciate any views as to allotmentworthiness ie taste etc

[Maggi Young]

Chris, Edzell Blue is blue skinned ( or even quite a dark purple blue) but the flesh is white. I think the blue spud, "Salad Blue" does have a blue flesh after cooking... 

[Stephenb]

What happens when you cook these blue potatoes, do they still look blue when you go to eat them or does the colour disappear?

Yes, they keep their colour. The look on the face of an unsuspecting guest when they are served up mashed blue potatoes or blue chips means that it's worth growing even if the taste had been revolting, but actually the taste is pretty good too. Here is a picture of one of my creations which I call "BBBP" or Blood Burger Blue Potatoes for the uninitiated (the potatoes were steamed). Despite the name it is a 100% vegetarian dish, the burgers being made with beetroot...

This potato is probably what you would call a 2nd early and should be harvested as soon as possible as it's susceptible to blight, scab etc.

[ChrisB]

Wow, thats some dish!  Must try a few I think, worth it to see the look on the faces of guests (and hubby for that matter).

[Susan Band]

Mum has been known to serve up the Scottish Saltire to some of our guests from south of the border.

[Brian Ellis]

Brian,
Is this a link to the potato days?

http://thewhitchurchweb.org/potatoday/potatodays.htm

Cheers Mick

Yes indeed Mick, sorry I didn't reply earlier as we were out.  There is a publications section on Alan Romans site where you can obtain the latest potato guide for £1.50 if my memory serves me rightly.

[David Lyttle]

Unlike you northern hemisphere types I am now digging my new potatoes rather than thinking about planting them. As befits someone whose ancestors left Ireland and came to New Zealand following the potato famine I do not feel secure unless I have enough spuds in the ground to feed my family for the entire year.  Its in the genes I think. This year we did not quite make it. We bought one small box of new potatoes for Christmas as our own crop was a bit delayed. I grow Desiree which has red skin and yellow flesh, I used to grow Red King (Red King Edward) which is a very popular potato in this part of the world and is still favoured by many, ( I doubt if Dave Toole eats anything else) but found it needs a lot of water to yield well. Desiree is more reliable in terms of its yield and is very versatile for cooking, The other potato I grow is Red Rascal which is red-skinned and white-fleshed. It is a better keeper than Desiree so one can last until the new crop come in about Christmas. I grew something called Rocket one year as an early crop, It matured quickly like the man in the garden shop said it would but by the time I finished the row they tasted absolutely vile.

There are some New Zealand bred varieties like Rua and Karaka as well as several varieties of so called Maori potato. These are very old varieties that arrived here with the first European visitors. The Maoris were very quick to adopt the potato as their main root crop, kumara did not grow south of Christchurch and they had to rely on fern root (Bracken) much of the time for carbohydrate. There has been a recent revival of interest (fad) growing these Maori potatoes mainly for their novelty value but so far fern root has not made a comeback.

[ChrisB]

most interesting Dave, especially about the Maori potatoes.

[Stephenb]

Had to Google "Maori Potatoes" - interested to see what they look like. This is what I found:

http://kaiarahi.massey.ac.nz/pics/Photos/tutai08.jpg

Small world!

I also forgot to wish everyone a very Happy New Year of the Potato:

http://www.potato2008.org/en/index.html

[t00lie]

Earlier quote from David Lyttle "I used to grow Red King (Red King Edward) which is a very popular potato in this part of the world and is still favoured by many, ( I doubt if Dave Toole eats anything else)".

Not so David !--being a true blue,(excuse the pun), Southlander i've also been know to eat a swede or two as well,(raw or roasted of course--boiling them -yuk alters the taste).

Ah !!! the humble swede...i could rant on and on but this topic is about Goyi berries and taties.

Cheers dave
(At home because of a crook back)

[Maggi Young]

I am delighted to be able to wish you all a very successful Year of the Potato... thank you Stephen for this info .

tOOlie, sorry about your back, Ian says he will be gentle with you 

[Stephenb]

Not so David !--being a true blue,(excuse the pun), Southlander i've also been know to eat a swede or two as well,(raw or roasted of course--boiling them -yuk alters the taste).
(At home because of a crook back)

Many years ago, I visited a museum in Suva, Fiji and one of the exhibits was the shoe of the last missionary to have been eaten (I think he was a Swede). Hadn't realised that cannabalism is still alive and well (?) in New Zealand. Can't imagine they taste that nice raw either...

[Anthony Darby]

Up here Swedes are referred to as turnips or 'neeps' and are served bashed with haggis and bashed tatties.