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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 13:36:50

Title: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 13:36:50
I am growing some International Kidneys "Jersey Royals" and it is the first time I have tried them, someone told me to harvest them whilst in flower as the skins will be flaky and if I were to harvest them after flowering the skins would be more firm, is this true?.

Cheers
Tony
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 15:48:11
Now that is a good question. Almost certainly accurate. During WWII, wasn't that how they knew the potatoes had been dug up before they should be?  Unsure if it was actually a criminal offence to dig them up too soon. May be there is some one older than me who can tell us.

When I was a kid all 'new' potatoes had flaky skins which we scraped, we called them 'old' when the skins went firm and needed peeling.

But then we didn't get the varieties either, just 'whites' or 'king Edwards'. Cyprus potatoes came in when the old ones were unfit to use any more and the new ones were not ready yet. You could tell Cyprus, they had orange dust on them.

The difference was, you couldn't do chips or mash with new potatoes (you could with Cyprus spuds)

We had boiled, mash,Jacket or chips (roast on a Sunday) potatoes every day then. Rice and Macaroni was cooked in milk as a pudding. To eat Rice or pasta as a savoury was foreign muck. Cous-cous unheard of and noodles were only found in Chicken noodle soup (from a packet).

I'll shuddup now!







Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 16:25:16
A nice read PH, maybe a thread on growing during challenging times should be started...I have listened to some stories from chaps on our site who are in their eighth decade and gripped I have been . I live right next to our lotties and sometimes when I just pop out to take out veg peelings I can be gone for two hours chatting ;D....Mrs. Leek is used to it now...She reckons we have a shed pub somewhere on site "lol".

I was 40 two weeks ago and I bought a Rover 75 T Tourer this year....Some family and people at work think I should have a pipe and slippers now topped with a flat cap....Mind you they are more than happy without comment to eat anything from our lotties.

Cheers
Tony
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 20:06:02


What is says is that you are enjoying what you are doing and that is what it is all about.

I notice here on his forum how often people come on and say things like

' I do not know the answer to the question' or You cant do that.

Their input has had no use at all, but it is their life. Bless them.


Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: betula on June 01, 2008, 20:13:45
Attention everybody.Do not respond to posts if you don't know the answer.
Apparently your imput is no use.

Are you having a laugh PH. :(
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 20:35:28
I see you know your place Betula
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: betula on June 01, 2008, 20:43:02
What place would that be then sweetie.

Oh just a thought,when your answer is taken from books or web sites it is normally good manners to credit the author. :(
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 20:49:25
Is that a fact?

I was always taught that :-if you have nothing useful, to say or helpful to add.

Keep out of the way and be quiet.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: betula on June 01, 2008, 20:50:51
Are you in the army or something?

You seem to like control ::)
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 20:51:51
No doubt an expert will be along shortly with an answer
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: betula on June 01, 2008, 20:55:44
Yes ,quite a lot of us on this site say that,we don't pretend to know everything.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Gazfoz on June 01, 2008, 20:59:14
Hang on Betula.
weren't you the one who objected to someone calling you "love" in a previous post????
Sweetie must be ok then ???

Consistency is everything darling!
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: betula on June 01, 2008, 21:01:51
I don't mind darling,darling :)
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 21:07:06
I will rest my case
I have made my point and note that others feel the same.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 23:04:03
Quote from: PurpleHeather on June 01, 2008, 20:06:02


What is says is that you are enjoying what you are doing and that is what it is all about.

I notice here on his forum how often people come on and say things like

' I do not know the answer to the question' or You cant do that.

Their input has had no use at all, but it is their life. Bless them.

I have just come in from my lottie had some scran turned on the pc and what the hell is all the above about???.



Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: betula on June 01, 2008, 23:20:24
PH seems to be of the opinion that you should only respond to posts if you know the answer. ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: djbrenton on June 01, 2008, 23:23:00
To answer the OP's question. Maybe. :P
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 23:25:01
Well I started the thread so the Bunny Boiler must have had to much sherry at lunch...I am pretty xxxxxx off with the nature of the response regarding my question. IMHO this may be the last time I ask anything on this site...

Cheers
Tony
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: star on June 01, 2008, 23:31:20
Tony you really must not take any notice. There are many more of us here who would much prefer to talk to you than be slammed by someone chirlish enough to even think of posting that c**p.

We need people like you ;), its all about having fun as well..... which sadly escapes some
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Georgie on June 01, 2008, 23:35:50
Quote from: star on June 01, 2008, 23:31:20
Tony you really must not take any notice. There are many more of us here who would much prefer to talk to you than be slammed by someone chirlish enough to even think of posting that c**p.

We need people like you ;), its all about having fun as well..... which sadly escapes some

Ever thought about a job in the diplomatic service Star?   ;)  ;D

G x
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: star on June 01, 2008, 23:37:59
 ;D ;D ;D ;D Do you think I'd get in then Georgie?
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Georgie on June 01, 2008, 23:40:27
Nah, your eyes are too close together.   ;D

G x
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 23:45:48
Lose the fly on your nose and you may...Thanks...Hi G

Cheers
Tony
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: star on June 01, 2008, 23:48:13
No wonder I cant see straight, I always thought I made a great bee line to everwhere ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: 5rod on June 02, 2008, 08:55:52
this thread is edible plant.not cat fighting .
tony i to am growing international kidneys and would love too know.
but if know one knows, maybe
  yourself or i should dig sume up.
what do you say .good infor is allways needed by most of us on
this site about growing veg.
b][/b] how about it tony
                             ;D
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Melbourne12 on June 02, 2008, 09:05:00
Quote from: Need a Leek on June 01, 2008, 13:36:50
I am growing some International Kidneys "Jersey Royals" and it is the first time I have tried them, someone told me to harvest them whilst in flower as the skins will be flaky and if I were to harvest them after flowering the skins would be more firm, is this true?.

Cheers
Tony

The one time we grew them, the year before last, we dug the first ones when they had recently flowered.  They were the size of marbles!

Now I don't know if one can safely generalise from one experience, but we found that we had to leave them for several weeks before the potatoes developed to any sort of usable size.  Certainly when we did dig them, the skins were firm.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: sawfish on June 02, 2008, 09:42:19
Its funny that this post is now full of useless answers, the very thing that purpleheather complained about in the first place  ;D

OK back to the potato question now people!
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: coznbob on June 02, 2008, 12:24:09
Same here, some flowering, some just stoppped,  dug a few up and got marble sized spuds will be leaving them in a bit longer. Hopefully all the rain will fatten them up a bit, flakey skins or not!
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: 5rod on June 02, 2008, 13:21:56
thanks for that coznbob.
will dig mine up in few weeks
                   5 rod
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Barnowl on June 02, 2008, 14:35:53
Need a Leak: why not pick a few at a time so that you can come back and give us a definitive answer and become the site's  International Kidney guru? Looks lioke the rest of us don't know the answer.

5Rod, I believe that International Kidneys are Jersey Royals in mainland clothing and I'm also pretty sure that Jersey Royals are not actually early but main potatoes picked early so that they are small. So I suppose you can leave them in the ground for some time (depending on where you stand on the flaky skin issue :) )

Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on June 02, 2008, 17:33:58
It's officially an early maincrop, but it's lited early on Jersey, and wherever else they import 'Jersey Royals' from.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: djbrenton on June 02, 2008, 17:45:43
From what little I know about them, when grown in Jersy they are on a slope and are covered with seaweed. I wonder if this affects the skins?
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 02, 2008, 17:52:28
I use the non dig method and being right on the coast I have rolled in some seaweed as well...All salt water washed off by the way, all I need now is a slope ;D another 12 tons of horse muck for one end of my plot next year then.

Cheers
Tony
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on June 02, 2008, 17:55:00
There's not too much flat land in Jersey; I doubt whether the slope is deliberate.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Mrs Ava on June 02, 2008, 18:47:24
Just wanted to add, if you leave them in for too long, whatever that may be, they become huge very very quickly.  Last year we started digging the row after a rootle around, finding the spuds, new pot size.  As the weeks wore on and the row became shorter and shorter, the pots got bigger and bigger.  In the end they were monsters which we were baking in their jackets.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Hyacinth on June 02, 2008, 18:55:54
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on June 02, 2008, 17:55:00
There's not too much flat land in Jersey; I doubt whether the slope is deliberate.

and I. for one, am past caring ::) ;D

Best laugh I've had since the Old King died, tho.....

NeedaL it's all down to you then..we expect a scientific trial, mind...not too sure atm what the science is, but give me time :)

Barnowl you wrote "5Rod, I believe that International Kidneys are Jersey Royals in mainland clothing and I'm also pretty sure that Jersey Royals are not actually early but main potatoes picked early so that they are small." Rang some far-distant bells, that...there was a radio4 talk some years ago that, I think, said something similar...

EJ......but were the skins flaky?? :P

Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Mrs Ava on June 02, 2008, 19:17:01
Do you know lish...I can't remember!  Must have been all that mint and melted butter addling my brain.  I will let you know when I start digging this years crops.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Hyacinth on June 02, 2008, 19:23:03
Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on June 02, 2008, 19:17:01
Do you know lish...I can't remember!  Must have been all that mint and melted butter addling my brain.  

;D

Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Need a Leek on June 03, 2008, 11:24:19
Quote from: 5rod on June 02, 2008, 08:55:52
this thread is edible plant.not cat fighting .
tony i to am growing international kidneys and would love too know.
but if know one knows, maybe
  yourself or i should dig sume up.
what do you say .good infor is allways needed by most of us on
this site about growing veg.
b][/b] how about it tony
                             ;D

Good Idea 5 Rod  I am up for that in a few weeks time ;D.

Cheers
Tony
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: tim on June 03, 2008, 11:38:21
I believe that there is a slot for this kind of niggling - it's certainly not International Kidneys!
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Mrs Ava on June 23, 2008, 23:22:01
Hate to bring this to the top, but just for you Lish, started digging my Internation Kidney's last week, they are just starting to flower now, they did go in a couple of weeks later that I hoped, and yes, the skins are incredibly flaky.  If rubbed, the skin, what there is of it, wipes clean off.  They flesh is like soft cream, sweet and incredibly delicious.  I am almost tempted to only grow these and Pink Fur Apples next year.

(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Mrsava/flowers%20and%20allotment/internationalkidney_small.jpg)
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: saddad on June 23, 2008, 23:28:24
Very impressive E-J  ;D
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: 5rod on June 27, 2008, 14:14:23
HI ALL
JUST REPORTING IN
JUST STARTED ON MY INT KIDNEYS POTATOES.
FLOWERS  ALL FINISH ,SKIN ARE VERY THIN 
AS ABOVE.JUST RIGHT.
AND ARE GREAT, I WILL BE GROWING NEXT YEAR
I  AM LUCKY TO BE NEAR THE SEA SO I ADDED SEA
WEED WHICH HAS KEEP THE EEL WORNS AWAY.
ALSO HELP WITH THE TASTE
9 OUT OF TEN FROM ME.
Title: Re: international Kidney in flower
Post by: Rosyred on June 27, 2008, 18:32:24
I think the skins go  hard when the bush dies back.