Welcome back to the potato series!

This one is exciting as I’m sure you have already guessed that I harvested my first potatoes!

I was on holiday on the Isle of Colonsay last week so my neighbours kept an eye on them for me.

A few days before our hols we went to dinner with friends which made me want to get on with pulling them up!

Our friend Helen has been growing potatoes from the Potato House too and decided to harvest 2 varieties which we had for dinner along with ribs and salad.

They were absolutely delicious and I decided that I would harvest some of my own when I came home from Colonsay.

I planted mine a bit later than Helen which is why I waited a week. Of course you can leave potatoes for a long time before harvesting as long as they are all out by the time the frost comes.

As you know I planted 5 varieties of potatoes 3 of which were in Bag’s For Life and the other two separated into pots.

One of the varieties I was/am growing are Shetland Black potatoes. These were separated out across 3 pots and I had been warned by a local farmer that these may not grow as many as the pots are quite little.

As I am not an expert potato grower this was a bit of an experiment. I looked online and it looked as if you should harvest potatoes when the leaves begin to yellow, die or when the flowers die back.

The pot I decided to do had nothing of the above but I risked it.

I took a pair of scissors from the kitchen and chopped off all the stalks. I then tipped the pot into a bucket and began to loosen the soil. I honestly was surprised to see a huge potato straight away.

It was a lovely healthy colour of purple.

I kept digging and found 23 more potatoes!!! All I kept saying was ‘Oh Wow’! I had no idea what to except but I did not expect that many in the pot.

I regret not leaving it for a wee while longer as there were some potatoes so tiny that I hardly counted them.

But it doesn’t matter! For my first pot I was very pleased. The two other pots of Shetland Black I am leaving for longer to see if the potatoes get any bigger or change in any way.

Dad hosed the potatoes down to wash the mud off and then washed them again in the sink. He cooked them for dinner and when we cut them in half we saw they had a purple ring in the middle of them which we thought was pretty cool.

For our dinner we had chicken breast flavoured with chicken. We also had buttered broccoli and of course to top it all off, the Shetland Black potatoes, lightly buttered.

They were so tasty and I felt very proud. The families first time eating home grown potatoes from our very own garden.

This has been short but I wanted to update you on how I am getting on and decided to dedicate a blog to the first potatoes that I harvested!

Very happy with my 24 potatoes which disappeared in a night and can’t wait to pull up the others.

It will be interesting to see the difference in the ones left for longer.

Please let me know, if you are growing potatoes, how you are getting on and/or what meals you have had so far!

Love Martha B x