Patio Potatoes

To be precise, I planted organic Elba potatoes on March 24, 2023. I harvested them today as we will be gone for a while on a trip, and I wanted to see what I got. So, they are officially harvested on August 27, 2023. I planted them in a 15 gallon flower pot with extra amendments, such as recommended by various sites, whose names I forget. Ah, well. More research for the next potato season.

Let’s start with the Elba potatoes. I ordered mine from Wood Prairie Farm in Maine. They were organic seed potatoes and can be harvested 7-8 weeks after planting. They are noted as good for container gardens, hence my choice, as well as being a hardy and disease-free plant.

Reading about potatoes was really interesting, and to me, potatoes and tomatoes are some of the best contributions to world cuisine from the New World. Let’s add squash, too, and corn.

Anyway, my crop is not big. Altogether I harvested about 20 potatoes, of which 10 are fist-sized, and the rest are smaller. I have enough to share a few perhaps with a friend or family member. I have no idea how to store them before I eat them, so per the internet:

• Do not wash before storing
• Do not store in the refrigerator
• Store in a paper bag or bowl, both with holes to allow ventilation, preventing moisture accumulation, leading to spoilage
• Keep away from light to prevent development of chlorophyll and the toxic chemical solanine

At the moment, my potatoes are sitting on a paper towel so the dirt on them can dry. I won’t wash them, but perhaps brush off some dirt. Then, certainly a bit of a feast! I will also put them in a paper bag in the pantry to see what they do – our garage is too hot, and as the pantry is sort of in a central part of the house, it might not be a bad idea to put them there, or in a closet.