Happy Easter!

[gavin]

Happy Easter everyone!

Enjoy your Christian/pagan spring festival. I'm working this weekend:

http://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/event-details/1200

Gavin

[Trog]

Happy Easter!

If it's any consolation I'm working too - had to have one of the breakfasts cooked by 8am! Still, a bit of quick bed-changing (only one room to do today) and we were able to get to church on time (just)!

[Jon]

Happy Easter everyone!
I'm working this weekend:
http://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/event-details/1200
Gavin

Hope you enjoyed spending some quality time with your potatoes. Imagine calling that work!

[Trog]

Quality time with potatoes. Now there's an interesting image! I spent some quality time with some on Friday, planting them. I don't know where the tradition of planting earlies on Good Friday comes from but I often do so if I've completed the digging in time. I plant deeper than the books say I should but my method seems to work well.

Many many years ago, when I was motorbiking with a tent (as opposed to loitering within one), I stayed on a croft where the crofter would bring me different types of potatoes to try for my supper. A bit of a challenge cooking them on my trusty Trangia (used a lot of fuel), but each had it's own flavour and texture. To this day, I would happily eat a plate of well-buttered new potatoes on its own, if it wasn't for the fact that the rest of the family like meat and veg with theirs!

[Jon]

The potato is indeed a meal in itself.
We try and plant our earlies on St Paddy's Day - 17 March. Good Friday next year is 22nd April so you will have to go the Irish route for planting your earlies.
We drove past a sign at the side of the road today which stated simply "Wee balls of flour" Everyone here knows that means Kerr's Pinks for sale.
I planted another row of maincrop this afternoon - Sarpo Mira. They are a bit waxy for my personal taste but have incredible blight resistance and don't need any spray. Good for chipping or frying after boiling and cooling.
I hope to get my Pinks in some time this week as well.
Is this a bee forum or a potato forum? A fine pursuit either way.

[gavin]

The quality time with the spuds was also quality time with the people (often little people, but usually with grown-ups in tow) of Edinburgh and surrounds, and good fun it was too. We had wild potatoes that smell of camels, and edible potatoes that look like dog turds, and by the end of today an entire wall of various colourings-in. Those potato freaks wanting to stop for a chat learnt all about where potatoes come from, how people used to prepare toxic wild potatoes for safe eating, and what we are using them for now. A choice few also heard about the bee pollination of potatoes, and the speculation that the white flowered types (from the hotter places like Mexico) may be pollinated by night-flying bees avoiding the midday sun. (See how I brought it back to bees?)

G.

[Jon]

and edible potatoes that look like dog turds,
G.

I hope you never seriously considered a career in marketing!

Mexican potatoes are watery fare. It's impossible to find a decent floury one.
(Oops, brought it back to potatoes again!)

[Trog]

Blight is almost guaranteed here, though the earlies usually get away without it. I must say I prefer waxy spuds to floury ones.

As for being off-topic, well Gavin started it!!

[POPZ]

The potato is indeed a meal in itself.
We try and plant our earlies on St Paddy's Day - 17 March. Good Friday next year is 22nd April so you will have to go the Irish route for planting your earlies.
We drove past a sign at the side of the road today which stated simply "Wee balls of flour" Everyone here knows that means Kerr's Pinks for sale.
I planted another row of maincrop this afternoon - Sarpo Mira. They are a bit waxy for my personal taste but have incredible blight resistance and don't need any spray. Good for chipping or frying after boiling and cooling.
I hope to get my Pinks in some time this week as well.
Is this a bee forum or a potato forum? A fine pursuit either way.

Fine pursuit indeed - agreed. But what about Golden Wonder - the king/queen of all spuds particularly with a rich gravy and venison - coated in local honey (just to keep on forum!!) - fantoosh.

[Trog]

A friend gave me five Golden Wonders to plant last year and they did well. Lovely sauteed!