Who wants new potatoes at Christmas?
Christmas-new-potatoes
In our house it is the gardener – but when the gardener becomes the head of the table, he wants roast potatoes around the turkey and mashed potatoes with his gravy. The subtle flavour of freshly dug new potatoes, cooked with carefully preserved mint, is not appreciated.
This is the first year we have successfully grown new potatoes and harvested them on Christmas day. The seed potato varieties Carlingford and Vivaldi were planted in late July, under a polytunnel, and we have been enjoying them since November.
The polytunnel reduces the risk of frost, but in severe frosty weather the soil would have to be covered (eg with fleece) so that the soil & potatoes do not freeze.
Christmas-dug-potatoes
When we dug the new potatoes on Christmas morning, they had bulked up considerably, and were so big that they had to be cut in half before cooking. This was in spite of a severe attack of potato blight early on. Late sown potatoes are more vulnerable to blight at a very early stage, because as soon as they come out, and the first leaves emerge, they are likely to be in a blight period.
So, because the new potatoes are quite large we will probably plant some in August next year. But a few will be planted in July, just in case blight catches the August lot.
Click the link to buy some Carlingford or Vivaldi seed potatoes to grow new potatoes for Christmas.
The challenge of extending the potato season and harvesting new potatoes at Christmas is still there, but who really wants them with a traditional Christmas dinner?
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Kinds of potato? Really very interesting, but unfortunately we do not have kinds of potatoes conditions.
Comment by Anne — January 4, 2010 @ 4:16 am