I got scads of spud the other day. Not sure what they are and would appreciate any suggestions
They're obviously end-of-season spuds and most are pretty small. I scrubbed the small ones and am canning them whole...the larger ones I'll peel and cut into chunks.
Hope the photo shows...my first attempt on this forum.
I'm also puzzled by the skin...some have very thin, smooth skin which I'd expect from young, new potatoes. But some have a rough, almost furry texture. Most of it comes off with the scrub brush but what's underneath isn't really smooth. Some also have what looks almost like scales, or netting. It also scrubs off but doesn't leave really smooth skin either.
I always grow enough that I put them in layers in a metal trash can using straw or hay between the layers. I put the smallest on the bottom and the best looking large ones on top. That way I use the best first. I often have some left over, so it is the smalls. I keep them in a dirt floor cellar that stays pretty warm in the winter. (40 and above) I often get that mottled skin that you describe which does not seem to effect the potato. You will usually get a couple large potatoes in each hill along with a variety of smaller sizes. I buy 6-8 varieties each spring. I find that there are good years and bad for potatoes as with most crops. I do not clean them before putting them away for the winter so as not to bruise the skin. I do not can them at all.
When the tuber developed under the plant and how it developed may have some bearing on its appearance, also.
Only the very early "new potatoes" in my garden are dug immediately. Usually, I give them about 10 days after the foliage is cut, before digging. That gives the skin on the tubers time to thicken. That protects them from harvest injury and adds to storage life.
You think they're Gems, Steve? I don't have a clue...I didn't grow them...sorry if I wasn't clear about that. I really don't know all that much about potatoes other than the fact that I like to eat them! The flesh on these is quite yellow, not white or creamy at all. I ended up with 8 qts and 8 pts of the little ones, and will probably have close to that much of the larger ones. I grew up with red potatoes, Pontiacs I think, and actually prefer them, but these ones are my absolute favorite kind...free! Next year we're going to try growing our own. Our last experiment with them failed miserably...We built a box to grow them in and kept adding a board and soil as the plants grew. They did great for a while but then they all died at once. I'm thinking the heat just cooked 'em Next year, we're going to rig up something to shade the box so that the plants get the sun but not the roots. Hopefully that'll work.
If we had a root cellar of any sort, I'd never can them all, but the crawl space isn't big enough...not with all the wine and mead aging, the furnace and electrical junk down there. The garage is too cold and the house is to warm so...we're stuck with the jars at least for now.
I don't know what variety of potatoes we get around here, the feed stores all carry the same thing. But they just melt in your mouth, they are so good!!!
Next year, we're going to rig up something to shade the box so that the plants get the sun but not the roots. Hopefully that'll work.
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