Growing at the Speed of Life - A Year in the Life of My First Kitchen Garden

Potato

Solanum tuberosum

W

e live in one of the world’s greatest
potato-growing valleys, and so I felt I
could better use our limited space for plants
that have a greater markup at the store.
Then I discovered a yellow potato called
German Butterball and a deeply blue tinted or­
ganic potato called, of all things, All Blue. So I
set out to plant a patch 5x4 feet, using a pound
of each variety as seed and hoping for a 10­
pound harvest from both. Since these varieties
are what one might call designer potatoes, their
designer prices in the supermarket—when you
can find them—make them a good candidate
for the kitchen garden.
For the first-time potato grower, if you want
an early new potato size, break off the foliage
but leave the tuber in the ground for a couple of
weeks to develop a good skin (with its abundant
vitamin C), and always serve them unpeeled.
Exactly when to do this depends on how
small you want the new potatoes to be; my best
suggestion is to delicately excavate the earth
bank to see how they are doing. At 1-inch di­
ameters, you may decide to top the greens.
One other handy hint: keep the soil banked
up against the green tops to protect the tuber
from developing a green skin. This green pig­
ment is actually a low-grade toxin called alka­
loid solanine, which can cause digestive distress.
Tradition has it that Escoffi er, the famed

master chef, used to have potential appren­

tices  who wanted to work in his Savoy Hotel

kitchens make him a plain omelet with boiled

potatoes—a seemingly simple audition. Yet

both can attain perfection only through skill.

The formula for the perfect boiled potato

is  simple: water, plus 1 teaspoon salt for each

quart of water. Add small/new potatoes to boil­

ing water; older and larger potatoes—2 inches

diameter and up—are added to cold water,

which is then brought to a boil. In both cases,

count on about 12 minutes of boiling time.

Drain off the water and cover the hot potatoes

with a clean absorbent towel, pressed down

tightly into the saucepan. Let stand for 10 min­

utes. The excess water will then steam off and

leave the potatoes in a perfect state.

The Numbers

Although there is only anecdotal evidence concern­

ing arthritis and nightshade vegetables (of which

potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, and tomatoes are

members), you might be well advised to limit por­

tions of these vegetables if you suffer from arthritis.

100 g baked including skin (3.5 oz ; ½ cup): 97

calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 21 g carbohydrate,

3 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 14 mg sodium

216 • GROWING AT THE SPEED OF LIFE