I have just finished going on a spud spree. I’m still not sure how it happened. Drop me off at the mall and I am a model of self control. But apparently if you leave me alone with a potato catalogue on a winter afternoon, it’s a different matter.
I started off simply intending to order some Norlands for those mouth-watering early red potatoes and some Kennebecs for winter storage. I like the size of the Kennebecs, even if they do like to hang around at the surface gaping at their neighbours until they turn green.
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As long as you’re vigilant with the hilling, Kennebecs will reward you with potatoes so big you only need two to fill a pot. I don’t know about you, but I’d far rather peel two huge potatoes than a dozen smaller ones.
Then I remembered I had planted Vikings last year and though they weren’t as big as the Kennebecs, they stored equally well and tasted even better. Then I noticed a purple Viking. The description read “a very popular cousin to the Viking. Tubers can get quite large.”
Could this be the perfect combination of Viking taste and Kennebec size? Perhaps I should eliminate Viking and Kennebec from my order form?
Then I read how Sangre has a low incidence of hollow heart and is high in Vitamin C. We all know how irritating hollow heart can be and how important Vitamin C is. Shepody is excellent for baking and we do love our baked potatoes.
Agria was touted as a good tasting high yielder, both excellent qualities for a spud. Cherry Red is excellent for baking and I am a pushover for red potatoes. Alaska Sweetheart not only boasts of red on the outside, but intriguing shades of pink on the inside.
As a proud Canadian, I couldn’t very well plant Alaska Sweetheart without ordering twice as many Yukon Gold.
As for Roko, I have to admit I simply liked the name.
Of course, the fact that Roko has bright red skin, produces high yields of uniform potatoes and is excellent for winter storage certainly doesn’t hurt. I can’t wait to say, “Please pass the Rokos.”
I rationalized my expensive leap from ordering two types of spuds to a whopping dozen by telling myself it could be worse. Like Imelda Marcos once explained, “I did not have 3,000 pairs of shoes, I had 1,060.”
Shannon McKinnon grows herbs, vegetables, wildflowers and more on her 60 acre farm northwest of Dawson Creek, B.C. She can be reached at shannon.mckinnon@producer.com
