Grew these in 2020 and this season. They're a second-early blue from the 1800s, often said to have floury flesh and therefore unsuitable for salads.
Last year I mistakenly harvested as a maincrop and they were floury; completely disintegrated when boiled and only suitable for roasting and baking. This skins were also quite scabby, which I believe was worsened by the extremely dry summer.
This season I planted seed tubers saved from last year's crop into a new no-dig bed. This was an extremely late event on the 18th May. Two months later after abuntant rainfall I harvested the plants, though they could have done with another month to develop some of the tiniest baby tubers. Nevertheless, there were some big potatoes in there and a fair few at perfect 'salad' size. And there's no scab.
The transformation is incredible, they're like a completely different variety. Sweet, smooth and buttery flesh. Truly delicious. We're even favouring these over the Charlottes.
To the surprise of no one, growing conditions and time of harvest make all the difference in vegetable quality. But it is something to bear in mind with this particular variety, especially as I've seen the name be ridiculed as wishful thinking, and seed companies claim it is floury. It is, if it is left in the ground too long and/or not watered enough. Give it the conditions the original breeder intended, and it's a perfect waxy salad potato.
Last year I mistakenly harvested as a maincrop and they were floury; completely disintegrated when boiled and only suitable for roasting and baking. This skins were also quite scabby, which I believe was worsened by the extremely dry summer.
This season I planted seed tubers saved from last year's crop into a new no-dig bed. This was an extremely late event on the 18th May. Two months later after abuntant rainfall I harvested the plants, though they could have done with another month to develop some of the tiniest baby tubers. Nevertheless, there were some big potatoes in there and a fair few at perfect 'salad' size. And there's no scab.
The transformation is incredible, they're like a completely different variety. Sweet, smooth and buttery flesh. Truly delicious. We're even favouring these over the Charlottes.
To the surprise of no one, growing conditions and time of harvest make all the difference in vegetable quality. But it is something to bear in mind with this particular variety, especially as I've seen the name be ridiculed as wishful thinking, and seed companies claim it is floury. It is, if it is left in the ground too long and/or not watered enough. Give it the conditions the original breeder intended, and it's a perfect waxy salad potato.
Comment