This morning as I was pulling up a part of the English pea patch, I spotted a few volunteer purple potato plants growing in between the pea vines.
I don’t remember planting purple potatoes last year, so I think this batch was actaully left over from 2010. Holy cow! Who knew potatoes could hide that long underground? I had no clue.
After digging around in the dirt for a good 10 minutes, I ended up with 5 lbs, 8 oz of purple potatoes.
How exciting! I can’t wait to make these for dinner tonight. The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird is going to FLIP OUT when she sees these.
Have YOU ever grown purple potatoes before?
Do you think your kiddos would want to eat them right up, or would they be freaked out?
Okay, gotta go. Lot’s to do today!
Peace Out Girl Scouts {and Mike too!}
♥ Mavis
The Complete Book of Potatoes ~ Amazon
Susan says
I think most kids would LOVE purple potatoes! Our GD (11) plants a row of Rainbow Carrots and a few other things in our garden and really enjoys them. We give her space to plant what she wants.
She has a small area for flowers this year, and they are just starting to take off. We have had such a wet and cool year that we don’t have the big garden we have had in the past. We are on a slight slope with the garden at the back ( with wetlands abutting it) and it took a long time for the ground to dry.
We are growing: tomatoes, 3 kinds of squash, peas, beans (green and purple) and lettuce (leaf).
Andrea says
We have not grown purple potatoes but I did see them in a local store here and had to buy them. They taste good and the purple is pretty but somehow I think they taste different (I think it might just be my head cause they are different). What a neat surprise to find in your garden.
Jenny says
Purple potatoes!! How cool. I did not even know they existed. 🙂
Julie2 says
Only Mavis could find buried treasure in her garden like that.
Enjoy dem taters.
Tali says
I work at a hospital and the other day they had yummy assortments of potatoes…loved the purple ones.
Jules says
We tried purple potatoes one year b/c I thought the kids would like them.
They didn’t.
just a warning – don’t make mashed potatoes from them! ew
Mike says
Two things:
1–My kids would love purple potatoes as long as they could have brown gravy on them! (hmm, what color does purple and brown make?)
2–I finally feel included, girlfriend! 🙂
Seriously, I’m enjoying learning about gardening from you, and when we move to Sequim next month we are hopefully going to be able to start one of our own. Then I’ll send YOU pics of purple potatoes (with brown gravy).
LaToya says
That is the ONLY thing we have going for is this year is an assortment of potatoes – purple included. I’m so excited – those look fantastic!
Gwen says
I’ve been digging up purple potatoes and fingerlings for the past 2 weeks now :). We toss them into something we call a garden medley. Heat up a skillet and add the following: Olive oil, onions, potatoes, carrots, peas, garlic, beats (all from our garden), then splash with some white wine towards the end. It’s perfect with chicken, steaks or chops! Can’t wait to see what you make with yours!
Megan says
I am growing them for the first time this year! I haven’t dug any up yet….should I?
Mavis says
I would wait until the flowers die back. I pulled these up because they were mixed in with the peas and I needed the space for something else. 🙂
Pam says
Delurking to laugh. My kids take purple mashed potatoes and stuff them into pitas. The joy of saying “purple potato pitas” repeatedly never gets old. Kids are weird! (Bearing in mind that I grew them, mashed them (the potatoes, not the kids) and let them stuff them into pitas)
Mari the Kiwi says
I grew them one year then had them for the next 3 yrs unwanted. The taste very different and was not something we enjoyed. Also they lose their purple colour when cooked and turn an un appetising grey. I agree about not mashing them. They may be ok roasted. The texture is different to ordinary spuds.
Best use for them I have been told, is in a potato salad where u can hide the colour and taste with dressing and capsicum peppers, chillis and herbs.
Pam says
Ours actually stayed a lovely lavender color when mashed, maybe a different variety?