Speaking of Purple Potatoes

cityfarmer

Attractive To Bees
Joined
Jun 26, 2011
Messages
328
Reaction score
8
Points
72
Location
Colorado Front Range Zone 4/5
We've done all blue and purple Viking with success. Served one of them at Thanksgiving dinner too. While my husband and I were happy my mom and father in law were not really amused. Of course not everyone likes the look of light blue mashed potatoes with brown mushroom gravy. Hehehe.
 

baymule

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
18,770
Reaction score
36,702
Points
457
Location
Trinity County Texas
I planted Purple Majesty and Mountain Rose last year. I made a major blunder and lost most of them. :hit I got a few of each. They were small and I had to sift the dirt to find them. I will try them again, but not this year. Here's last year's chronicles of potatoes.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/thread...toes-today-update-post-56-harvest-pg-7.12301/

This year I have ordered purple sweet potato slips just for grins. We'll see how it goes!
 

digitS'

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
26,617
Reaction score
32,060
Points
457
Location
border, ID/WA(!)
We've done all blue and purple Viking with success. Served one of them at Thanksgiving dinner too. While my husband and I were happy my mom and father in law were not really amused. Of course not everyone likes the look of light blue mashed potatoes with brown mushroom gravy. Hehehe.

Heeey, I don't know if Purple Viking counts! Bright white inside that purple skin . . .

What a nice potato, tho'!

I'd be happy to grow those again :).

Steve
 

thistlebloom

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
16,473
Reaction score
17,411
Points
457
Location
North Idaho 48th parallel
Oooh! My favorite subject! I grew Magic
Molly last year and loved it. It's a dark purple all the way through, with a smooth lustrous skin.
( Hi everybody! I just have a second here,
free WIFI in the lobby, gotta run! :frow )
 

hoodat

Garden Addicted
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Messages
3,758
Reaction score
509
Points
260
Location
Palm Desert CA
I read an article about native Peruvian potatos. They literally have hundreds of varieties. It seems every family has a variety of its own which gets passed down. The one that made me laugh is a twisted up variety that is called,"The one that makes the new brides cry", referring, I suppose to it being so difficult to peel.
 

digitS'

Garden Master
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
26,617
Reaction score
32,060
Points
457
Location
border, ID/WA(!)
There was just a short something on PBS showing a little of an Andean potato harvest.

Steep hillside for that family, with lots of steep small fields nearby.

Anyway, they were filling their baskets with lots & lots of different colors and shapes of potatoes. Lots of variety in every square yard!

Steve
 

baymule

Garden Master
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
18,770
Reaction score
36,702
Points
457
Location
Trinity County Texas
Our preacher goes to South America, teaching classes at Christian schools that train preachers. He told us of the grocery stores in Peru that have many, many different varieties of potatoes. It seems that certain varieties are used for certain events. Interesting.
 

hoodat

Garden Addicted
Joined
Apr 28, 2010
Messages
3,758
Reaction score
509
Points
260
Location
Palm Desert CA
Potatos with some greens seems sufficient to provide a healthy diet. This has been proven in both Peru and Ireland before the potato famine. If some dairy products such as milk or cheese are added, it is even better. In the US potatos are thought of as fattening but that is more due to the toppings we add, such as butter or sour cream, than to the potatos themselves. Potatos contain more vitamin C than citrus fruit and a surprising amount of useable protein. If the skins are eaten along with the interior part they also contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals. Blue and purple potatos also contain high amounts of antioxydent, Which helps to keep your cell reproduction from mutating into cancer or tumors. The deeper the color the higher the ontioxydents content. In the plant family purple color seems to be the indicator of antioxydent content.
 
Top