Pulled My Spuds - Wash or Dry ?
NewBoy2
BristolPosts: 1,380
in Fruit & veg
Just dug up the last of the main crop
? Do I leave them on the conservatory floor to dry
or wash them and then leave to dry
or what other methods do you suggest please
Never change Tigers in Mid Stream
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Just leave them to dry for a few hours and then store them in a paper or hessian sack somewhere cool, dry and preferably dark or at least shaded from direct sunlight. Check every week and remove any which show signs of mould. Don't wash them as this will shorten their storage life!
Absolutely. It does need to be dark (or they'll turn green and poisonous) and frost-free. A garage next to the house is ideal, or a frost-free shed. Probably worth brushing off the worst of the soil, when it's all dried and crumbly.
Bob & Steve
Many thanks chaps
? If there are small holes where the slugs have got in can I still store them
I have the same problem with some of mine NewBoy2. They will store for a while but are far more prone to rot. I put the ones with no holes at the bottom of the sack and the holey ones at the top so they get used first.
Most of the varieties I now grow have good slug resistance - Kestrel were untouched this year so I recommend those if you have a lot of slug damage. Also the Pink Fir Apple (which I lifted today) are completely hole-free but are small and knobbly so a bit of a pain to use in the kitchen although worth it as they taste fantastic!
Our Charlotte were untouched by slugs even when left in the ground. But Orla which were dug up at the same time as our last row of Charlotte (still untouched by slugs) were riddled with slug holes.
Hi, Bob T G: I've grown Pink Fir Apple for the first time as a 'corner filler', ie they went in after all the other varieties were housed. I'm pleased with the crop: we avoid the problem of 'nobblyness' by scrubbing with a soft bristle nail brush & serving them as boiled in their skins with a knob of butter ontop!! Delish!!
I'm just finishing harvesting my Maris Piper, got two more rows to go, and I've had to sort them into 2 sacks - spuds with holes and those without - damned keeled slugs. The worst ones I was going to throw into the food waste bin but decided to try and salvage some, mash and freeze them. They were absolutely riddled with holes, uncovered by the peeler, and some still had slugs in - yuuurch! As it is my first attempt ( only got the allotment in April) it is a bit demoralising. If I grow main crop next year I will go for a slug resistant variety.
The quality is a bit suspect as well. When boiling, the outer skins turn to mush before the middle is cooked, so timing is critical otherwise you end up wth a pan full of mushy potatoes. Monty Don mentioned this in his article in last months GW with his Charlotte crop, and they were short on taste, he thought it was too much rain in spring. Still, I expect they'll make great roasties
I don't wash mine until I use them. I wash the ones I give away, but only because those ones will be used up quickly.
Mine go in plastic bowls with newspaper on top, in a dark cupboard until I'm ready to use them. They stay in good shape till late December, but usually wrinkle up by January lol