Miniature potatoes

[Snoop Puss]

^ No wonder they were flogging them off!

That said, I spotted a bag in a local supermarket (the closest we have to a Waitrose, but a long way, away so we hardly ever go there). First time I'd ever seen them. Three euros a kilo, so quite pricey, given that ordinary new spuds are currently going for around 70 cents a kilo. I have to say they looked quite pretty.

[veggiechicken]

Please excuse me for saying, bazza, they look awful. Never mind the size, look at the quality
A couple of weeks back I bought some "pearl" potatoes reduced to 25p. Nice quality, even size and just right for eating as boiled new spuds. They were actually Maris Peer and were UK grown. late planting maybe?
Anyway, I forgot all about them and they've all chitted! Going to bung a few in buckets and see if I grow my own Pearls.
But I digress, Good luck with those miniatures. If anyone can grow perfect spuds its you.

[bazzaboy]

^ No wonder they were flogging them off!

That said, I spotted a bag in a local supermarket (the closest we have to a Waitrose, but a long way, away so we hardly ever go there). First time I'd ever seen them. Three euros a kilo, so quite pricey, given that ordinary new spuds are currently going for around 70 cents a kilo. I have to say they looked quite pretty.

The current T&M price for seed Vizelle is Ł4.99 per kilo (=5.70 Euros). I've read that T&M have exclusive rights to selling the seed variety this year, I haven't seen eating versions offered in any local supermarkets (but haven't specifically looked). I'm reassured you say as new potatoes they looked quite pretty! They were "featured" at Chelsea last year but when I looked that up I found they were "featured" as part of a display alongside another 149 varieties that were also "featured".....

As you're in Spain, SP, here's some additional info from the ticket. It includes a complicated number that it calls the "EU Plant Passport" (which as they're grown in Scotland I don't think is strictly necessary to get them to England, yet awhile anyway...). The website also includes the statement "Please note: This product cannot be delivered outside the United Kingdom". The ticket also includes the statement "Union Grade E". Quite what that means I know not, will assume it means 'E' for 'Excellent'.... but it might just means 5th Grade...? I've heard of "third-rate", not sure I've ever heard of "fifth-rate". How many grades are there?

I'm embarking on a silk purse from sow's ear enterprise! To be continued.....

[bazzaboy]

Please excuse me for saying, bazza, they look awful. Never mind the size, look at the quality

Good luck with those miniatures. If anyone can grow perfect spuds its you.

LOL, Yes they don't look too clever, do they.....

Thank you for the compliment, VC, not quite deserved because while I sometimes do OK in local shows not particularly in potatoes..... - and p'raps we can now see why! There is of course the old debate of Nature vs Nurture.... is it Inheritance or Environment? Well I guess we're about to find out at least as far as Vizelle Pots are concerned. These ones haven't got the best start in life but I'll treat them kindly and see if anything improves. I'm sure all Growers would say it's not an "Either/Or" but Both: DNA + Perfect Soil + Decent Weather! Hmmmmm - several problems there then! To be continued....

[veggiechicken]

I have confidence in you - don't forget to show us the end results


(I promise not to laugh)

[bazzaboy]

Interesting note from T&M (separate slip of paper in the Planting Instructions): "You may notice that the seed tubers supplied in your order are longer and bigger than you may be expecting. This is down to delayed lifting of the commercial crop due to wet soil conditions. Rest assured that the crop you produce on a home scale this season will yield smaller and more oval potatoes, as illustrated in the Thompson & Morgan catalogue."
For the moment at least I will, as instructed, "rest assured". To be continued....

[Snoop Puss]

Well, there was me thinking that maybe I should just buy a bag of these mini potatoes I saw and try growing from them. But I've also tried to find out what Grade E means. I'm not very clear (to say the least) but the upshot is that growing seed potatoes is a very complicated business. And that seed potato growers aren't allowed to use Grade E potatoes to grow another generation of seed potatoes from. At least, that's what I think...

[bazzaboy]

Bringing this one up to date, the saga continues.....

The odd Spring 2018 meant I was a bit late chitting/planting these, particularly as listed as “Maincrop” and the Village Show is this Sunday, September 9th. Used 4 “check growth” potato buckets. I watered them (with saved rainwater which was becoming increasingly precious!) during the heatwave period, otherwise left them to their own devices. Growth was a bit ragged (Pic 1) and if it hadn’t been for the Show date would probably have left them longer. Haulms removed to encourage skins to toughen, some growth visible (Pic 2), left for 24 hours. Harvested as in Pic 3.

First thing I noticed was reasonable yield, second thing I noticed was no scab (rainwater worth the effort). Then began the process of selection for the Show….

It’s like an interview process…. A) Select all possibles – which was a goodly percentage, B) Order and group (in this case size and shape - Pic 4), C) remove any non-starters (green bits, odd shape, insect damage etc) still got rather a lot (only need 4! ). 2 shapes tend to dominate, they’re either long/oval or round. But the round ones don’t match so exclude those. Although quite small ones might work well in a potato salad I know from experience that the judge won’t choose tiny ones so exclude those. The largest ones show more irregularities so exclude those. Try to find 4 identical potatoes in the mid range. Impossible, Potato Society, like humans, values individual differences! Do the best you can. (Pic 5). Reduce to 6 groups of 5 (you need at least 1 spare because when they’re washed new problems will show up…..).

Now washed and drying - so it’s just a matter of finding the best 3 groups of 4 (+ spare). Simples.....



TBC …..

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Baz - can't wait for the next instalment of Bazza's Adventures in Minitattieland

[Snoop Puss]

Good luck with the competition.

What do you reckon to the taste?

[bazzaboy]

Good luck with the competition.

What do you reckon to the taste?

Thanks SP, I haven't tasted them yet (in case I eat the one I need!) Have more or less made the final choice of 3 x 4, looking at them this evening they don't look at all identical (and one had a tiny hole and started to go rotten overnight, good job it didn't do that on the Show bench). Been fiddling with other categories today, not doing so many this year (there's 37 categories in the veg section!) Getting stuff to the show and displayed in the right category in the competitive hubbub of "setting up" is another potential disaster area. I have won Category 36 "Disaster vegetable" several times, that's probably my strongest set! But Vizelle should be in Category 03 "Salad Potatoes" - so interested to see how they fare.

[bazzaboy]

Wh -hey, the largest of my 3 entries in the Salad Potato section gained First Place, the other 2 sets weren’t placed, 2nd and 3rd going to much larger potatoes. I tend to think “salad potatoes” should be small…. you don’t want a big spud plonked in the middle of your salad, do you? I suppose you can chop them up! Personally I didn’t think the ones selected for ‘First’ were the best of my 3 sets but they were the biggest which seems to count in Shows….

On taste… I’m not best judge because I seldom eat my own produce but I tried these out as Snoop Puss asked. They certainly held their shape well after 20 mins boiling (see pic) so the “salad” tag justified. Hot with just butter I thought they were pretty bland, as part of a hot meal (Beef bourguignon, Cook's cheat, not cooked from scratch...) they didn’t do much more than add to the bulk. I’ll try some cold in a trad salad mix - but then you basically taste the mix (by the time you’ve added some combination - and hopefully not all! - of mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, pickles, onion in some form, capers, eggs, chopped parsley, crčme fraiche, soured cream, sweet chilli sauce, chives, pancetta, pepper, salt etc etc not much hope for the potatoes…..)

They have several things going for them in terms of the Show bench – genuine “salad” variety (at best it’s a rather vague category), quite prolific so offer plenty of choice, regular oval shapes, clear skin apparently not too prone to scab. So I’ll try them again next year (if still available on the seed potato market, they might disappear as seemed surplus and sold off cheap this year), attempt to exhibit the larger ones and donate the smaller ones to some version of The Mix.

As others have already noted, they look good - clean and regular - on the supermarket shelves, what do others make of the taste?

[bazzaboy]

So I’ll try them again next year [2019] (if still available on the seed potato market, they might disappear as seemed surplus and sold off cheap this year [2018])......

Ha! Continuing the tale of T&M exclusive expensive "pig tatties" VIZELLE. It appears they have now been discontinued:

"Potato 'Vizelle' Solanum tuberosum
We are really sorry, but this product is no longer available.
Ref: https://www.thompson-morgan.com/p/po...elle/tz81173TM "

However I still have 8 tubers from last year (rule of thumb, Never throw anything away lol, this cottage is getting mighty crowded....) and as they brought me a First in the local show last year I'll try them again and go down fighting... TBC..... b.

[veggiechicken]

I expect they'll rename Vizelle and make it sound like a new gimmicky potato - like Fizelle..