While chasing Lucy along the fence line yesterday I passed by one of our compost heaps {or rather a just throw it over there pile} and noticed potato leaves popping out everywhere. The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird was helping me catch Lucy and as soon as we stopped to investigate she said “Hey, is that a potato plant? Can we dig it up?’
Then it occurred to me. We haven’t had potatoes for about 2 months.
So we rummaged through the dirt.
And not only found some slugs, but a few random mint and oregano plants as well.
Eureka! New potatoes!
Hey maybe there’s enough for dinner.
Well, enough for The Girl and I.
Since I’m going for poundage again this year, I probably should of just let the potatoes grow until they were nice and big. But sometimes you just have to live a little, right?
I’m not sure if new potatoes actually taste better than the full sized ones, or that new potatoes are just one of the first things {besides kale, strawberries and peas} that you can harvest from the garden. But I do know, sauteed with a little butter and garlic, these babies taste divine. Even if they did come out of a compost heap. 😉
~Mavis
P.S. Are you a new potato thief too? Have you harvested any yet?
Lisa says
Those slugs are as big as your potatoes! Yikes! This is my first year growing potatoes. My plants are nice and big but I planted fingerlings…so I’m hesitant to dig them up because they’re so small even when full grown. Suggestions?
Ann says
You can always make salt potatoes. They’re a central New York staple that is absolutely one of the best things on the planet, and no-one else knows about them! Go here for instructions…http://puttingupfood.wordpress.com/2012/09/16/how-to-make-salt-pototoes/
Missy says
We just dug up 11 pounds of new potatoes from our fall potato bed. Never had I been so excited about doing such a poor job last year of harvesting a crop. We’ve already started eating them and they are super yum.