Fingerling potatoes

I have been stealing a few fingerling potatoes. I know if I wait longer they will grow but I simply cannot wait until the vines die back. By very carefully lifting the plants with a four tine garden fork I am able to get enough for an occasional special dinner. With Italian parsley and a bit of olive oil they are so delicious that I often wonder why I don’t plant the whole garden to potatoes and tomatoes!. But a wise friend points out that those few square feet make them all the more special.

This year I discovered an incredible source for seed potatoes. Milk Ranch Specialty Potatoes has an amazing selection and very reasonable prices. This prompted me to try a couple of new varieties in addition to my old favorite, Russian Banana. I also ordered Austrian Crescent and Rose Finn Apple. Austrian Crescent has won, hands down, for very good size, yield and, most importantly, flavor. It is tied with Russian Banana, my mainstay for so many years.

My limited space does not allow for a crop of potatoes for winter keeping. But enough fingerlings for a few memorable meals are something to look forward to.

In the immortal words of Winnie-the-Pooh, channeling A. A. Milne:

What I say is, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.

Well, I try.