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| Chitting potato starts. 2.25.17 |
I just opened the boxes. Most of the first ones are already sprouting but not too much. The boxes are a good size to cut into half to serve as trays for sprouting in the window sill.
Now I need to get the garden bed ready. That may take a week or two.
It's hardly worth buying potatoes by mail order. The shipping alone is much more than several full bags of potatoes. Buying these from local stores is much less expensive. The flavor of home grown is excellent, and by growing them organically I have no concerns about pesticides so I'm not concerned about eating the skin, although I wash them and eat the skins anyway. Yukons and Russets keep several months in a cool dry room. Not sure about the Red Norland.
"It's hardly worth buying potatoes by mail order."
ReplyDeleteAnd here I just ordered potatoes by mail order.
But not just any potato. Last summer we found them at a local organic farm stand and loved them roasted. I think we went through about 7-8 three pound bags of them. The Makah Ozette fingerling potato ... every single source was out of stock, until I found them at an organic farm store in Omak and ordered them. See http://www.filareefarm.com/seed-garlic-for-sale/Ozette-Fingerling-Potato.html
Best cut in half lengthwise, coated with olive oil by shaking in a Ziploc bag, placed face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan, dusted with garlic salt and pepper, and baked at 425F for 17-18 minutes. Alternately on the grill in a foil pouch. They don't make mashed potatoes, don't bake - but they do add a nice touch to soups and stews. Well worth the price plus shipping. We spent about $40 on them last year. And since I'd already paid shipping, I ordered some Red Pontiac, too. ;^)
You have a good point. My perspective was via the thrifty / stingy / cheap guy point of view :-) But you are right, the mail order places do have a lot of unusual, colorful, and I imagine flavorful varieties. I still buy fruit trees by mail order, and I am always dismayed about the shipping cost. Ditto for anything from Amazon. Your roasting method sounds good. I should try that with my, more routine, potatoes.
DeleteI'm tickled by your sprouting potatoes. I've tried hard not to see sprouts on my eating kinds:-) Have you notice how easily the tubers sprout when you grow your own? They don't keep half as long as those from the store that's been dip in growth inhibitors. I can always get pretty nice varieties from the farmer's market or the organic stores which sells many tasty varieties. No need to pay shipping.
ReplyDeleteI have some from late summer that have sprouts about 18 inches tall. I don't know if they are worth trying to plant. I may lay them on their sides and bury them to see what happens. I wonder what those growth inhibitors do to us? I prefer growing potatoes from certified disease-free seed potatoes, to improve my chances of a good crop.
DeleteI once got a rejected 50 lb. of potatoes, I forgot the variety, but it never sprouted and I've wasted my time planting them in the ground. It didn't cost me anything but those inhibitors is something else. I suppose that's why we have short people.
ReplyDeleteFunny Lance! :-) Well, except for the russets, they are all planted now. The russets have little green buds, so should be ready to plant in a couple more weeks.
ReplyDelete