The Greatest Potatoes of All

Photo by Gayla Trail  All Rights Reserved

It has come to my attention that I do this every year: fish around in the soil for potatoes before they are due. As I said last year, it’s the anticipation of not knowing what is going on underneath the soil. This aspect of my personality comes as no surprise. I’m the kind of person who skips to the end of a mystery novel. I try not to do it, but nearly always do.

I think I’m going to wait just a wee bit longer. The plants are still in the process of dying back and we could have had a slightly bigger harvest last year if I had just waited before digging it all up.

Minutes after taking this photo, I brought them inside, popped them whole into a pot of boiling water, and served them hot with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of salt. These are the best potatoes we will have all year.

In case you’re wondering: the purple is ‘Purple Peruvian’. I’m not sure about the reddish pink variety since they were given to me at a transplant trade back in the spring. To be honest, I can’t be 100% bout the ‘Purple Peruvian’ since they were originally purchased at an organic supermarket, but I’ve grown them 2 years in a row and am pretty certain based on the potatoes and the colour of the flowers (purple!).

Gayla Trail
Gayla is a writer, photographer, and former graphic designer with a background in the Fine Arts, cultural criticism, and ecology. She is the author, photographer, and designer of best-selling books on gardening, cooking, and preserving.

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6 thoughts on “The Greatest Potatoes of All

  1. The purple potatoes are fascinating; have wanted to try them since I saw someone prepare them on a TV cooking show… still haven’t seen any in my area, however.

    I dug up two boring white potato plants over the weekend. Had a very small yield and am hoping to do better with the remaining six plants. The good news: no late blight. And, as you observe, these are the best potatoes we’ll eat all year.

  2. Those look delicious. I must confess that I always have to take a peek at my potatoes mid season to see what’s going on underground.

  3. Hi there. Nice crop of potatoes. Any pointers on when is the best time to plant potatoes. I was thinking of planting them early September and possibly harvesting around spring. I’m in Seattle, WA and the winters are pretty mild. Rainy as heck though, which I love. Green everywhere. Any pointers would be very welcome. Thanx..

  4. I believe we pulled ours up a bit early too. A big bucket and only four nice sized potatoes, with a couple little marble sized ones.

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