Kitchen Garden Forum

Giulia

Here's another site to try:-

http://www.britishpotatoes.co.uk/default.asp

Alan

Hi Barney,
When I suggested Maris Bard as 'the' early potato I was howled down on the grounds that they attract slugs and when I suggested placing a few slug pellets down the row to attract them out from the spuds I was howled down again. I find that there are all these weird and wonderful new varieties but even the people growing them seem to be dissatisfied with the taste yet they keep on growing them!
I know Maris Bard is quite an old variety but to me the taste to me is of paramount importance and especially if you are growing them. I have grown other varieties but they have always been grown to compare with 'The Bard' and so far nothing has even touched the surface yet.
JB.

Johnboy

You said:-

"I find that there are all these weird and wonderful new varieties but even the people growing them seem to be dissatisfied with the taste yet they keep on growing them!"

A timely warning. If you could list these "weird and wonderful new varieties", perhaps members could steer clear of them.

I tend stick to older varieties than Maris Bard (1972).

Alan

I've grown the 'weird and wonderful' variety Rosabelle as an early for several years now. Its excellent - a red skin with yellow waxy flesh making an excellent salad potato and super flavour. Not widely available though, I get mine from Tuckers.
The very early frame-grown ones that we're eating now are Vanessa that I'm trying for the first time. DW has yet to give her final verdict on these as we've had trouble with 'after-cooking blackening' with them. We are reduced to cooking them with ½ tsp of citric acid stop to the discolouration.

John

In Johnboy's arbitrary category, I grew Rosabelle and Amandine last year - both excellent new potatoes - this year I am trying Anais (all 3 from Tuckers).

With a supplier like Tuckers I always like to try something new.

Alan

alan refail wrote:With a supplier like Tuckers I always like to try something new.

Can you expand on that Alan? I assume it's a compliment, but haven't yet tried them.

What's the story? Any things they're particularly good for?


Colin

Hi Colin

Tuckers have about 150 varieties of potatoes. Good for many other things too.

www.edwintucker.com

Alan

Mine are just Aaron Pilot.

They produce good earlies, and stay in the ground to give main crops.

You will all probably laugh at me now, but every year I intend to try something different then get cold feet at the last minute in case they don't work.

Sorry.

Guy

Finally dug first root of Rocket - 2 lbs 12 ozs - should have done it earlier!

I'm with you Guy, I grow Duke of York and then Charlotte and tend to stick with them because I enjoy them. I look at the list down the lottie shop but can't decide what else to try.
I tried Red DoY once also some with a purple eye that I forget, ratte too however the comments on Maris Bard may tempt me to grow a few next year.

I dug up some DoY last week and realised again why I have an allotment.

Hi Alan,
Whereas I agree that it may be a good idea to try and list some of the earlies that we like I realise that this may not be such a good idea.
I feel that there are several factors governing this.
I have tried International Kidney (Jersey Royals) in two gardens now and they have been absolutely nothing like those grown in Jersey soil and I have yet to meet anybody who has. Although they were not bad they were not good.
I have grown Duke of York and Red Duke of York and they both were super as was Arran Pilot and Pentland Dell and Charlotte were not bad. Swift, Rocket and a whole host of Potatoes that are no longer for sale were, in a word, awful yet some people simply love them. So personal taste comes into the equation as does soil conditions and method of growing. So should I actually recommend something and gain the disapproval of many forum contributors? I stress that I like Maris Bard as my personal choice and it appears to grow fairly universally throughout the country and by the way if Maris Bard are left to grow on they are as good for baking, boiling, roasting, mashing and chips as Maris Piper.
Having said boiling I actually always steam potatoes as with some potatoes will boil away before they are cooked this doesn't seem to happen with steaming.
I actually think they taste better when steamed but perhaps that is just personal to me.
JB.