the rhythm of life

The lifting of potatoes. The rhythm of the year is marked by such events and is the better for it.

And each year it is as new as the first time.

This year has been quite a good one for potatoes. We favour Kestrel as our main potato because it has some disease resistance and its tubers are dense and yellow when grown organically. Tubers are round with pretty purple eyes. They are a great tasting potato - the most important factor!!!!

Pictured is this years crop. Although the size of the tubers was not enormous, neither were there the masses of tiny tubers that are useless. And very little slug damage.

I usually haul them home and leave them to dry for a day before bagging. Wet soil on the tubers shortens their storage life. Washing also shortens their life and I believe reduces flavour.

But this year the tubers were quite dry as I lifted them. I bagged them into used paper sacks and they will be stored until the Nicola second earlies and the maincrop Pink Fir Apple have been used.