I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

On 14/06/18 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

I don't remember any JRs that I have bought having a red eye.

IMO the JRs you can buy today are almost tasteless compared to those of
20 years ago. There are many tastier varieties of "new" potatoes which
don't carry the premium of JRs.

--

Jeff

Chris Hogg wrote:

the flavour of JR's was because it was traditional in the Channel
Isles heavily to manure the potato fields with seaweed every year,
locally called vraic, a practice which has died out, being quite
labour intensive.
A page about it here ...
https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Vraic

On 15/06/2018 11:15, Andy Burns wrote:

Chris Hogg wrote:

the flavour of JR's was because it was traditional in the Channel
Isles heavily to manure the potato fields with seaweed every year,
locally called vraic, a practice which has died out, being quite
labour intensive.
A page about it here ...
https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php/Vraic

Very interesting article Thanks for posting.

On 15/06/18 11:07, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jun 2018 08:24:43 +0100, Jeff Layman
wrote:

On 14/06/18 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

I don't remember any JRs that I have bought having a red eye.

IMO the JRs you can buy today are almost tasteless compared to those of
20 years ago. There are many tastier varieties of "new" potatoes which
don't carry the premium of JRs.

If Sacha were still posting here, who AIUI grew up on Jersey or
certainly had close family connections there, the flavour of JR's was
because it was traditional in the Channel Isles heavily to manure the
potato fields with seaweed every year, locally called vraic, a
practice which has died out, being quite labour intensive. There were
a couple of postage stamps issued shortly after the war showing the
practice. See https://bit.ly/2sXwyA0

Indeed. The cessation of seaweed use for Jersey Royals was mentioned to
me time ago as a possible reason for the change in flavour. However,
according to the paper at
http://www.bahs.org.uk/AGHR/ARTICLES/14n2a4.pdf, potatoes when vraiced
were inferior to those not treated that way (see bottom of second column
on page 125):
"... and though it increases the crop of potatoes, it is said to make
them grow knotty and of an inferior quality." It doesn't mention
flavour, though.

--

Jeff

On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On 18 Jun 2018 14:31, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

Wonder what would be the effect of growing International Kidney in a
compost strongly laced with seaweed meal? Anyone tried it?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

In article , says...

On 18 Jun 2018 14:31, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

Wonder what would be the effect of growing International Kidney in a
compost strongly laced with seaweed meal? Anyone tried it?

After I've planted potatoes in the soil I cover the surface with a 6 "
layer of fresh seaweed. (Traditional method in West coast Scotland).

Janet

On 19 Jun 2018 01:37, Janet wrote:
In article , says...

On 18 Jun 2018 14:31, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

Wonder what would be the effect of growing International Kidney in a
compost strongly laced with seaweed meal? Anyone tried it?

After I've planted potatoes in the soil I cover the surface with a 6 "
layer of fresh seaweed. (Traditional method in West coast Scotland).

Does the seaweed break down into the soil and if so are you building up
a soil heavily based on seaweed. If so do your new potatoes taste like
Jersey Royals used to?

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On 19/06/2018 23:11, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 19 Jun 2018 01:37, Janet wrote:
In article , says...

On 18 Jun 2018 14:31, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

Wonder what would be the effect of growing International Kidney in a
compost strongly laced with seaweed meal? Anyone tried it?

After I've planted potatoes in the soil I cover the surface with a 6 "
layer of fresh seaweed. (Traditional method in West coast Scotland).

Does the seaweed break down into the soil and if so are you building up
a soil heavily based on seaweed. If so do your new potatoes taste like
Jersey Royals used to?
We have to be careful when remembering how things tasted in the past.
Reminds me of an old joke

"Cakes like mother used to make 50p
Cakes like mother thought she used to make 75p"

On 20 Jun 2018 00:01, David wrote:
On 19/06/2018 23:11, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 19 Jun 2018 01:37, Janet wrote:
In article , says...

On 18 Jun 2018 14:31, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

Wonder what would be the effect of growing International Kidney in a
compost strongly laced with seaweed meal? Anyone tried it?

After I've planted potatoes in the soil I cover the surface with a 6 "
layer of fresh seaweed. (Traditional method in West coast Scotland).

Does the seaweed break down into the soil and if so are you building up
a soil heavily based on seaweed. If so do your new potatoes taste like
Jersey Royals used to?
We have to be careful when remembering how things tasted in the past.
Reminds me of an old joke

"Cakes like mother used to make 50p
Cakes like mother thought she used to make 75p"

True, but tastes do stay with us, take old fashioned chips from a chip
shop. They had a distinct taste and it was the variety of potato used
"Majestiic". Grow some, chip and fry them, and that distinctive taste
is still there.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

On 20/06/2018 17:30, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 20 Jun 2018 16:33:38 +0100, Bob Hobden
wrote:


True, but tastes do stay with us, take old fashioned chips from a chip
shop. They had a distinct taste and it was the variety of potato used
"Majestiic". Grow some, chip and fry them, and that distinctive taste
is still there.

Frying them in dripping probably helped, too.

Well the best chips I had were cooked in a groundnut oil, fantastic taste

In article , says...

On 19 Jun 2018 01:37, Janet wrote:
In article , says...

On 18 Jun 2018 14:31, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 14 Jun 2018 23:05, David wrote:
I was cleaning some Jersey Royals this evening when I started wondering.
I seem to remember in the dark and distant days of my youth that Jersey
Royals had a red eye.
No sign of any now.
Is my memory wrong?

Never seen any with a red eye and the International Kidneys** we have
grown ourselves didn't. (**correct name of JRs)

Wonder what would be the effect of growing International Kidney in a
compost strongly laced with seaweed meal? Anyone tried it?

After I've planted potatoes in the soil I cover the surface with a 6 "
layer of fresh seaweed. (Traditional method in West coast Scotland).

Does the seaweed break down into the soil

Yes,, by the end of the season the thick layer of seaweed has
completely disappeared.

and if so are you building up
a soil heavily based on seaweed.

Seaweed plus home made compost


If so do your new potatoes taste like
Jersey Royals used to?

certainly very tasty :-)

Janet.