I had my first garden potatoes this year. It was just a test plot of 5'
x 4'. For an investment of two seed potatoes, I got two colanders of
potatoes back. The soil is heavy clay, so I lightened it with sand, and
compost, plus the normal soil amendments. Additionally, it is where I
now dump our coffee grounds (including filters). The area gets less sun
than the rest of my garden area but I 'm pleased with this first effort.
The potatoes (German Butterball) were in all sizes. The smallest
potatoes went into a stew, minutes after harvesting.

I'd appreciate suggestions on other potatoe varieties, not that I'm
unhappy with the Butterballs, but I'm curious as to what other people
like and why.
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara

http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm

Wildbilly wrote:


I'd appreciate suggestions on other potatoe varieties, not that I'm
unhappy with the Butterballs, but I'm curious as to what other people
like and why.

My own preferences are skewed by the Schoharie Valley, just to the south of
us; I can get any of the ordinary potatoes really really cheap there.
So, I grow yellow fingerlings and "Allblue," plus an assortment of red,
yellow, and blue tubers that I got in a sampler pack from a breeder who
works with some of the original South American lines. Like other veggies,
why not grow the stuff that is expensive or unavailable in the stores?

Dear Lady loves the Radicchio, and you can never have too many sugar snap
peas!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

In article ,
Gary Woods wrote:

Wildbilly wrote:


I'd appreciate suggestions on other potatoe varieties, not that I'm
unhappy with the Butterballs, but I'm curious as to what other people
like and why.

My own preferences are skewed by the Schoharie Valley, just to the south of
us; I can get any of the ordinary potatoes really really cheap there.
So, I grow yellow fingerlings and "Allblue," plus an assortment of red,
yellow, and blue tubers that I got in a sampler pack from a breeder who
works with some of the original South American lines. Like other veggies,
why not grow the stuff that is expensive or unavailable in the stores?

Dear Lady loves the Radicchio, and you can never have too many sugar snap
peas!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

Colors are good for presentations, but how do these heirloom potato
varieties compare in taste to Russets or Yukons? The Butterballs taste
like potatoes, only more so.
--
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara

http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm

Wildbilly wrote:

Colors are good for presentations, but how do these heirloom potato
varieties compare in taste to Russets or Yukons? The Butterballs taste
like potatoes, only more so.

Very favorably. If you haven't seen it, the Moosewood Tubers catalog (Part
of Fedco Seeds) has a chart listing the attributes of the many potatoes it
offers.... I just recall a scale of waxiness that tells you whether to
bake, boil, fry, etc. And as Steve mentioned, the colors are fun. I find
the blue ones keep their color best sliced and pan-fried in as much olive
oil as I can keep Dear Lady from spotting.
For what it's worth, my G.E. combination microwave/convection oven works a
treat for roasting potatoes... in the "Fast Bake" (oven with bursts of
microwave thrown in), you can do several spuds in 15 minutes, and they
taste just like regular oven roasted.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

"Gary Woods" wrote in message
...
Wildbilly wrote:

Colors are good for presentations, but how do these heirloom potato
varieties compare in taste to Russets or Yukons? The Butterballs taste
like potatoes, only more so.

Very favorably. If you haven't seen it, the Moosewood Tubers catalog
(Part
of Fedco Seeds) has a chart listing the attributes of the many potatoes it
offers.... I just recall a scale of waxiness that tells you whether to
bake, boil, fry, etc. And as Steve mentioned, the colors are fun. I find
the blue ones keep their color best sliced and pan-fried in as much olive
oil as I can keep Dear Lady from spotting.
For what it's worth, my G.E. combination microwave/convection oven works a
treat for roasting potatoes... in the "Fast Bake" (oven with bursts of
microwave thrown in), you can do several spuds in 15 minutes, and they
taste just like regular oven roasted.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at
home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

For flavor, it's hard to beat a Red Lasoda!

In article ,
"Wild Bill" wrote:

"Gary Woods" wrote in message
...
Wildbilly wrote:

Colors are good for presentations, but how do these heirloom potato
varieties compare in taste to Russets or Yukons? The Butterballs taste
like potatoes, only more so.

Very favorably. If you haven't seen it, the Moosewood Tubers catalog
(Part
of Fedco Seeds) has a chart listing the attributes of the many potatoes it
offers.... I just recall a scale of waxiness that tells you whether to
bake, boil, fry, etc. And as Steve mentioned, the colors are fun. I find
the blue ones keep their color best sliced and pan-fried in as much olive
oil as I can keep Dear Lady from spotting.
For what it's worth, my G.E. combination microwave/convection oven works a
treat for roasting potatoes... in the "Fast Bake" (oven with bursts of
microwave thrown in), you can do several spuds in 15 minutes, and they
taste just like regular oven roasted.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at
home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

For flavor, it's hard to beat a Red Lasoda!

Signature seems kinda familiar but in any event, thanks for all the
responses. Now I've got to rework next years garden scheme in order to
increase the potatoe crop.
--
³When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist.²
-Archbishop Helder Camara

http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm

Wildbilly wrote:

Signature seems kinda familiar but in any event, thanks for all the
responses. Now I've got to rework next years garden scheme in order to
increase the potatoe crop.

Good and tasty any way you cook it is yellow finn. I could say something
bad about some of those mentioned but to everyone's taste. Even mine!
Good luck with the next potaoto crop.
--
Bud

In article , Charlie wrote:

The french fingerlings Steve referenced were one of the varieties I
was going to try, along with LaRatte, if I recall. There were some
others that don't come to mind right now.

The German Butterballs worked out so well, that I'll expand my planting
of them next year, but since gardeners are a fickle lot, always staring
over the fence to see what the neighbor is growing. I'll probably try
the Fr. Fingerlings, La Ratte, Adirondack Blue, Kerr's Pink, or, maybe,
All Red. I'm sure I won't plant all of them, but Gary intrigued me with
the idea of colors and the description of LaRatte is irresistible. These
choices are based on responses to my query about potatoes and the
Cornell gardening site:
http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/ma...=42&sortBy=ove
rallrating&order=DESC&searchIn=1

The Cornell ranking appears to be based on responses to the site. It is
odd that, although LaRatte and Princess LaRatte are supposed to be the
same, or at the least, very similar, yet the Princess has 4 stars for
yield
http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/ma...3170&filterBy=
&filterBylocation=&filterByfrostfree=
and the LaRatte has only 2
http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu/ma...1454&filterBy=
&filterBylocation=&filterByfrostfree=
It's probably just the sampling size of the people who have rated the
potatoes, but I'll try to find the Princess, nonetheless.

I'll start locally, then try Seed Savers Exchange:
http://www.seedsavers.org/Items.aspx?hierId=88
and then I'll google, if I have to. Locally, the potatoes will arrive at
the local nursery in February, which is a 2 month jump on what I can
find on line.

Again, thanks for the feed back that I have gotten, and may still get.

It looks as if Jonny's Select Seed has a lock on some of the potatoes. I
went in search of info on Johnny's and came up with the following, which
I think makes for interesting reading.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/pdf/Who_Owns_Johnnys.pdf
--
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara

http://tinyurl.com/o63ruj
http://countercurrents.org/roberts020709.htm