problem tatties :whitchill1881

[mandi]

hi,
just wondered if anyone knows what might have happened here... my whitchill earlies when dug small were tasty and cooked fine but obviously weren't ready....
i left them to swell, which they did beautifully but when i finally dug them up and boiled them in the pan they went really mushy with hard bits-yeuk!!!
really disappointing -don't roast well either!!!!
why oh why???? any ideas?
left too long? or just not a good strain of tatties?

[bluemoon]

I don't know mandi, but I'll watch this thread with interest as my best mate has announced her intention of buying me unusual seed potato varieties for Christmas. (this is a mate who once bought me a raw sheep's fleece when I'd said that I'd always fancied learning to spin - and when I say raw I mean raw, as in bits of twigs and sheep-poo still adhering) Anyway, I not too subtly hinted that if that was the case then one of the varieties I fancied was Witchill. Hope I haven't made a ghastly mistake......still there's plenty of time until Christmas.

[Two_Sheds]

I just googled Whitchill ... nothing potato-related came up ??

[mandi]

sorry for the typo...they're witchill 1881.
they were from wiggly wigglers...heritage pots...quote "known also as snowdrop because of its shape. vigarous and high yielding with a good flavour."
as i said they tasted great originally then just exploded into mush in the pan once bigger..
anybody had that experience with any potato?

[bluemoon]

Perhaps you just left them a little too long. Normally when earlies are at the almost-ready-but-not-quite stage they're only ten days to two weeks away from maturity. I've had the problem with the last few earlies in a row when I've dug the first ones on time, but the last ones, dug a couple of weeks later, are a bit past it. Next time have a bit of a furtle* to keep an eye on their readiness and start to dig as soon as you begin to find good ones.
*This means have a feel through the soil to see if you can find anything without having to dig, it's not always possible on heavy/clay soil though.

[Capsid]

Some varieties of potatoes explode if cooked a bit too long, I have had this with Valor this year. They are good for chips though.