Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Potato, Pataaahhhhhtoe

Me and my huge Reds
      So here I am. A smidge after 5 a.m. The sun  is up, the birds are chirpping away and I am doing nothing. Just sipping my coffee and thinking that I should be out hilling my potatos before it gets hot today.

     Instead, I know I will end up eating some potatos first!
    We eat so many potatos, you would think we were Irish! - Mostly fried in the cast iron skillet with onions and peppers....YUM

potato field...100 hills
There are many ways to grow potatos. And just as many types of potatos. We generally grow Red's..Pontiac is fave. Though we occasionally have Yukons. But rarely standard Russets.
The =K guard 'Mingos (I like this shade of lipstick!)
  I hill ours. Not because I think it's the best way...But because my Holstein painted yard 'Mingos look cool out guarding the potato patch! :)
   My uncle puts in rows of Potatos out in the field and just leaves 'em to make it on their own. And they grow just fine.
  I have also has great success growing some in cardboard boxes with layers of newspaper and dirt alternated. This is great for patio gardeners!
  This gardener has always wanted to try the 'Tire' method, but hubby Vetos it...that's where you would use old tires in stackable rings. I know a lady in Denver that does this to save on garden space and conserve water. She starts with one tire on the ground filled with dirt. She usually puts about 4 potatos in it. as they grow, she adds more 'rings' and dirt. When they are 3 or so tires high, she stops stacking. And just waters for the rest of the season. After the first hard frost she takes off the rings. And presto...Many potatos without the back-breaking work of hilling!
   Storage- Most years we just dig, and store in the basement. We put ours in cardboard boxes (no lids) and don't pack them in. We pack loosely so they  can 'breath'. The reds seem to hold the best and we can eat ours all the way through April most years. Then we use whatever is left for Seed when we plant again.
  One year we had the Great Potato Fiasco. I personally planted and hilled 100 hills! -My cousins had just moved here from California and I said I would share my garden with them the first year... Fall came, hubby and boys dug the potatos. We were also still 'in the field' at this point. So hubby told the boyz to fill every barrel they could find with potatos and to drag them to the barn. He swore he'd have the boys sack 'em up and bring  'em in sooooooon. Well, soon turned out to be at Christmas when we were completely out in the house. He sent the boys out to the barn to grab a barrel and bring it in. Lo and behold... every single potato was FROZEN solid!!!....
   Did I mention that we like Potato Salad??? Every family has their own 'recipe'. Some like mustard, some put in jalapenos, some like it warm. I like it cold.
   Here's our 'family' recipe...

  Potatos & Hard Boiled Eggs  2:1 ratio  (we do 10 & 5)
  MAYO!!!! (not miracle whip)
  Onions - diced small (usually 1 good size onion does the trick)
  1 Stalk Celery - Minced
  1 can Sliced Black Olives
  Dill - lots
  Mustard - standard yellow. No fancy stuff
  Dill Relish - or a couple-three pickle spears diced up

        There is no exact recipe...You just kinda start putting it all in a big bowl and add until it tastes 'right'. ....You'll know.

( And yes... I know that the correct plural spelling is p-o-t-a-t-o-e-s)

   Have a favorite Potato recipe or story?
I'd like to know....

Katy
 


5 comments:

  1. Them are some BIG reds lady!!! Love the recipe :)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Pita! Why do you have no posts on your blog?

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  2. An update... We definately have poatoes! A few days ago the neighbors cows went on a walk about...through my garden. Thankfully singlefile! and the only goy 3 stalks of corn, 2 onions and 1 hill of poatoes!

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