Archive for the “potatoes” Category
You might think it’s weird to think about the gardening season now, but it isn’t. Even though your garden patch might be buried in snow right now, depending on where you are, you still need to get off your hindquarters and start planning now.
2009 might very well be the year when, for the first time in a long time, many people will have to rely on their own crops or go hungry, so plan well, and order early, and order heirloom seed that you can save so you won’t have to spend money again next year. When I went through our seed catalogs earlier this week, I noticed just how many crop failures are mentioned, and how much more expensive seed has become compared to last year.
I suggest looking at Fedco’s, or Seed Savers Exchange, to get an idea. Both places let you order online or via snail mail. Fedco’s is a little less pricey, but they have hybrids too, so make sure you don’t get a hybrid accidentally.
In addition, buying a little seed dispenser might help you not to waste seed, and a germination mat, for example Hydrofarm MT10008 Seedling Heat Mat, 20 By 20 Inches , will make sure that the seeds you start indoors will grow nicely even if you start early. Hydrofarm even sells a Hydrofarm CK64050 Germination Station with Heat Mat which gives you the seedling pots and the heat mat all in one go. If you are new to the whole idea of growing your own food and don’t have a basement full of little seedling pots already, this might be the way to go.
If you have difficulties deciding what you want to grow, consider this:
- What do you like to eat ? (Don’t grow what you won’t wish to eat.)
- What will fill your family’s belly well ? (You might like radishes a lot, but they are hardly satisfying if that’s all you have to eat.)
- What stores well ? (What can nourish your family well through the next winter.)
- What can you process ? (Will you can, freeze, dehydrate, or store in a root cellar.)
Tomatoes and peppers are tasty and wonderful additions, but you will want to have beans, potatoes and corn too.
Be wise, and don’t go hungry !
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Posted by: Rose in potatoes, tags: health news
I got this information from snopes.com:
The potato, the ultimate comfort food in Western society, has a disturbing secret. potatoes This trustworthy old friend so often invited to our tables can, at times, slip us a little bit of poison.
 The potato — or, rather, green versions of it — contains a natural toxin called solanine. The greenish hue that should warn you away from such spuds is actually chlorophyll, but its presence indicates concentration of solanine are present in the tuber.
A glycoalkaloid poison found in species of the nightshade, solanine is a nerve toxin produced in the green part of the potato (the leaves, the stem, and any green spots on the skin). This bitter poisonous
crystalline alkaloid is part of the plant’s defenses against insects, disease, and predators. Potato leaves and stems are naturally high in glycoalkaloids, so ingestion of these parts of the plant must be avoided at all costs.
Solanine develops in potatoes when spuds are subjected to light or either very cold or warm temperatures. It interferes with the body’s ability to use a particular chemical that facilitates the transmission of impulses between cells. Ingested in large enough amounts, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, and even paralysis of the central nervous system.
However, unless you are deliberately seeking out green potatoes to eat, you are unlikely to ingest enough of the toxin to do harm. The potatoes we buy contain such a minute amount of the chemical that a healthy adult would have to eat about 4-1/2 pounds at one sitting to experience any neurological symptoms. Ergo, don’t worry about having the occasional green potato chip, but do discard any potatoes that have green eyes, sprouts, or greenish skins, rather than prepare and serve them, especially to children. (Children’s smaller body size makes them more susceptible to ill effects.)
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We just wanted to share a picture from our garden
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 Last night we dug up our early potatoes, the dark red Norland, and they turned out very well. we got roughly 10 lbs and will eat the small ones tonight with salted butter and poached eggs.
No idea how to make poached eggs ? Here is how (plan 2 eggs per person):
- Fill medium size skillet with water, 3 inches high. Skillet should have a lid
- Set heat on high, bring water to a boil
- Crack eggs individually in small containers (cups, for example)
- When water boils, add 1 tbsp of plain vinegar and some salt to the water
- Let the eggs slide into the water by lowering the lip of the egg-cup 1/2 inch below the water surface and then tilt to let the egg slide out, put lid back on quickly and shut off the heat
- Let sit for 3 minutes for medium-firm yolks
- Remove lid, take out poached eggs. If you don’t like the taste of vinegar on them, put them in a bowl of cold water first to stop the cooking process and wash off the vinegar
- Enjoy with buttered toast or, like we will, with wonderful new dark red Norland potatoes.
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We have flea beetles on our potatoes, mainly. Last year they destroyed our eggplants, so this year we are waging war against them – non-chemical warfare, of course. So here is what we do:
 Flea beetles, much like potato or cucumber beetles and other unwanted critters, can be deterred with an infusion made of nicotine. If you have a smoker in the family, gather the cigarette and cigar buds instead of throwing them out. If you have about 25 of them, boil the tobacco without the filters in water, let stew for a few hours or overnight. Stain, dilute, and spray on the foliage of your plants. Repeat if necessary.
If you do not have a smoker in the family, buy cheap snuff and use a tbsp to brew the infusion.
If you want a stronger repellent, add three cloves of crushed garlic and a tbsp of red pepper flakes to the tobacco.
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Posted by: Rose in potatoes, tags: planting
To prepare seed potato,
- expose them to warmth (60-70F) and light about a week before planting time.
A day or two before planting,
- cut them into seeds with a sharp knife. Each seed should have at least 1 or 2 “eyes”, each piece should be about 2 square inches.
- Wait until a thick callous has formed over the cuts before planting.
The callous will prevent the seeds from rotting once they are planted.
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Posted by: Rose in potatoes, tags: planting
It’s easiest to plant potatoes in rows in a large field. Just make a furrow with a hoe and drop pieces of seed potato into it.
IN ROWS:
- 2 1/2 feet apart
- 3 inches deep
- 6-8 inches between the seed potatoes
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