Lammas and the potatoes

 

Lammastide is the time of early harvest, traditionally grains, but, here, potatoes. I don’t have enough land to grow enough wheat and oats to feed us, or the technology to harvest and separate out the grain, but I can produce potatoes. And, if I put them in the ground early enough, they need less water and are ready to give up their beds to other crops in early August.  The pandemic, plus a seed potato shortage, has made this a bit more challenging this year, but I pulled them on Monday, August Second, Lammastide.

This year, I put in a half bed of kennebucks, a large white potato that is a solid producer. They grew alongside leeks and carrots to create a “soup bed”; the potato leaves, despite my best efforts,  overwhelmed the celery before I could really get going. Next year. They came out—22 pounds—last week and were quickly replaced by the direct seeded fall crops. Arugula. Watermelon radish. Tat Soi. Lettuce.  If last year is ever an indication, these greens will keep producing until Winter Solstice.  They are already up.

This morning, I tackled the full bed, planted a couple of weeks later. Even with the water turned off for two weeks, a few vines were still lush. I tried working around them, but gave up. Two rows of Yukon Gold (17 pounds, medium sized tubers) and two rows of Blue (16 pounds, not as lovely as some other years) appeared as I expected, in terms of size and production. But, then, I had run a small row of huckleberries down the middle of the bed and they were….amazing. Huge! They beat out the Kennebecks, which are traditionally the largest potato. Clear and clean. Beautiful tubers. Deep purple outside, golden inside, and, I remember from last fall, yummy all the way through. 22 pounds from less than four. The bed emptied pretty quickly. I use my hands first, finding about 70 percent of the tubers while the compost I dumped on the straw mulch last week works its way into the bed. Then I take the pitchfork, with bare feet, and gently dig up the rest. This allows me to prep the bed for the next fall crop while harvesting the spring planting. Any big chunks of straw are set to the side, to be laid back on the bed later.

Once everything was out, I planted two rows of potatoes for a late fall harvest. It’s not as big, but it works! Then the hoses went back down, followed by the straw mulch. The other side of the bed will be filled with fall starts next week—kale and mustard, first, then the broccoli and fennel and cabbage. Depending on the fall, we will have a late harvest of potatoes and greens. Meanwhile, harvest begins.

Apple collection on Tuesday….

               

Potato Planting

   

Prepped bed

        It was warm and sunny in the Willamette Valley this weekend. The garden beds were at the perfect stage, between mud ball and hard clay; the moon was just past full. The time was ripe to plant the potatoes--.  Yukon Gold. Desiree. All Blue. Ruby Crescent. Enough to last the winter, stored under the stairs. I pulled out the shoe boxes full of saved seed, opened the new bag of Bio-Fish fertilizer, called Mark, and settled in. I spread the fertilizer in rows. Mark used the old pointed hoe to dig the trenches. I cut up the tubers and settled in them in, then he followed behind covering them over. We put in  90 feet of seed potatoes—two ten foot beds, four full rows, plus the extras tucked in the middle—in about an hour.

       

cut potatoes

     While we planted, we listened to the neighborhood. The Laugher had company over and his constant guffaws dominated the back alley. Next door, Kallen was noodling around on his guitar, following a jazzy riff. The frat boys a block away were up on their roof, shouting cheerfully for a friend to crank up the Bob Marley and then come up and join the party. The chickens let us know how they felt about serious digging going on without their help (they were not pleased). The cats came by to comment and supervise. A bike rattled by. Someone carried on a conversation, loudly, over their phone. Al, who lives about a block away in the other direction, shouted out a greeting to a passer-by. Everyone was out, enjoying the sun.

planted-- blue potato sprouts stick up

Vegetable Hash—a perfect use for old potatoes and large leaves of mustard greens!

Wash, chop in chunks, and boil 4-5 potatoes, any type, although waxy is better.

While the potatoes boil, sauté a large bunch of mustard greens in the cast iron skillet. Add some garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper.

When the potatoes are done, drain and add to the skillet. Add a half pint of canned roasted tomatoes. Stir. Mash the potatoes a bit with the wooden spoon, taking the sharp edges off.  Stir, mash, and warm through. Eat with new whole wheat bread.