SPUDS - dug 'em up!!

Just been down with hubbie and took the plunge ... dug a line of spuds up because I thought they had blight ... but now we're thinking they're just ready to dig up!!!! Oh, and finally got a flower on one plant .. (a previous posting declared we had no flowers). Anyway ... next question ... how do I store spuds? And another question .. can I leave the remaining plants in till such time as we need some for dinner? Or we'll end up with potato cakes, mash, chips, scallops, soup .... you get where I'm coming from?? Have a 'cool' day guys! Boy it's hot!

 

"can I leave the remaining plants in till such time as we need some for dinner?"

Yes, that's the best way for new potatoes for a month or so. Lift them as you are ready to eat them.

For main crop best to leave them in the soil to mature fully, and the skins thicken, before harvesting and storing.

 

As always - good advice!!!! They're 'earlies' so I'll leave them in till needed - thanks Kristen!! Thanks John .... yup, dead chuffed!!! I'll have to look round for brown paper bags now .....

 

No prob John ... I'm sure we'll find something suitable. Green spuds can give migraines apparently and we always throw them out when it comes to using them. We had some of our newly picked spuds for lunch with a slice of ham and knob of butter ... simple and quite delish!!!!

 

Nice harvest Winnie, you must be chuffed.
I`m resisting temptation for a little while yet...its not easy
robert

 

"we always throw them [green spuds] out when it comes to using them"

I believe the green will "go away" if you put them back in the dark for a bit.

 

My potatoes are coming on a treat ,they are in containers. Will I have to lift them sooner than if they were in the ground. Thanks Barb.

 

"Will I have to lift them sooner than if they were in the ground."

Nope (Well, you will if they were planted sooner than they would have been if they had been in the ground :hehe

 

With "New potato" types, lift as you eat. For storing, the potato has to be of a variety that grows slowly and developes a good skin. If you accidentally dig out more newbies than needed, boil them, cool quickly and eat cold with dill. It is also possible to freeze them, parboil them for some minutes, cool and freeze.

And don't believe the mint- school, the only herb that should be allowed near spuds is dill. Trust me.

The green colouring is actually solanine and it's mildly poisonous. Don't eat your greens!

 

Great harvest there Winnie! I dug up some 'new' potatoes on the weekend - absolutely delicious! Had three different varieties - a white, a red and a blue - no idea on names, as they were leftovers on the allotment we got about five weeks ago. Delicious though! The blue ones should've been left longer though - obviously a later variety as they were tiny still. I needed some room to put in some cabbage somebody had given me, and so many potatoes there, thought I could sacrifice a few - don't think of it as a sacrifice now as they were so delicious!
Thanks for the brown paper bag tip - I need to stock up on brown paper bags now too!

 

Had our first potatoes from the garden today. They tasted lovely but it took
three roots to make enough for one meal. Very poor crop this year hoping the
next lot we dig will be a bit bigger. I think we need some more rain.

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Kristen thank you, my spuds were planted on GOOD FRIDAY, this planting advice from a friend of a friend who is a very keen gardener. He also happens to be a man of the cloth , although retired now.
Cheers Barb.