I'm considering growing these next year due to their high blight resistance and the tendancy for our allotment to be hit by blight every year, although this year we where not for the first time in about ten years I'm told.
Has anyone grown these before, and more importantly how did they stack up to the various different cooking methods?
Many thanks!
Steve...:)
We haven't grown them but bought some from an organic shop to try. Neither of us liked the taste so threw them away ::).
I grew them a few years ago for the same reason you're thinking of growing them. The taste was terrible. I'm a big believer that plenty of butter can fix most things, and if it can't then you need more salt but not these. Them and Jerusalem Fartichokes are the only 2 thing we've ever gone to the effort of digging up to throw away.
Tried them, didn't like the taste...well, there wasn't much of one at all to be honest! Would not bother again, now just grow 2nd earlies and leave some in a bit longer if blight does not strike!
Apart from growing second earlies on a bit, what would you all recommend as a blight resistant spud, good for all cooking uses especially chips and roast, and growing into large tubers?
Steve...:)
Sarpo Mira was one of several disappointments that led us to stop bothering with growing spuds on the lottie at all!
dont think much of them I grew them this year but they arent on next years list
Checkout JBA seed potatoes, theres loads on there to choose from. :D
You can also go to early mains like Anya... or dig desiree early.. :)
Plant earlies, then you should get spuds before the blight in all but the absolute worst years. Hopefully, this year has been dry enough to cut back the amount of it on allotment sites.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on September 29, 2011, 19:33:44
Plant earlies, then you should get spuds before the blight in all but the absolute worst years. Hopefully, this year has been dry enough to cut back the amount of it on allotment sites.
Yup, I grow earlies too but I'm after a decent spud for all round cooking with good taste and a decent size tuber.
Quote from: cornykev on September 29, 2011, 16:35:43
Checkout JBA seed potatoes, theres loads on there to choose from. :D
I have an account with JBA and have ordered the last few years from them, but the difference between a point of sale comment and actual end user review can be as different as night and day. I've seen point of sale comments about Sarpo saying they taste good, but end user comments on this topic say different...which is why I asked here.
Steve...:)
I grew a lot of them and of Axona last year, and found them very dense and difficult to peel, and quite stodgy and tasteless. They certainly resisted blight, and remained leafy and tall into the autumn, but I decided not to grow them again.
On the other hand I tried Sarpo Kifli this year: "early maincrop - Produces elongated white-skinned tubers with a fabulous 'new potato' flavour, that is best enjoyed when tubers are freshly harvested and cooked in their skins". I have to admit that I have got my Charlottes and Kiflis mixed up because the labels faded, but the fact that I cannot really tell the difference speaks for itself. All my potato foliage disappeared ages ago, whether because of blight or maturity I can't say - but the potatoes are good and I will try them again.
Mira is OK but only baked, or possibly roasted... it is a bit light on flavour otherwise, ditto Axona, neither of them chip mash or boil worth a d**n... Setanta is basically a ROoster with some blight-proofing and in a bad year mine haven't been too bad for size, though the Axona and Mira have seriously come through for me but then I eat a lot of baked spuds.... If Kifli is confusable with Charlotte and has the Sarpo blight tolerance then I'll definitely grow it next year.....
Kestrel's and find a sachet of Dithane to spray at the end of June?... dunno if you're allowed to do that anymore...