Snow, spuds and the eternal potato crop

Driving to work last week, I saw a sign that chilled my green thumbs – snow on the mountain range above Canberra, some of the earliest in memory. It was a reminder to get summer vegies out of the ground, dig in some compost and other goodies, and plant up for the winter.

This year's potato crop included all sorts of shapes and sizes.

As it happens, summer vegies make some of the best cold weather comfort foods, and potatoes are no exception. Potatoes are dead easy to grow at the right time of year, and if you plant them once, you’re pretty much guaranteed to accidentally leave enough in the soil to ensure an annual crop for years to come.

In cold-weather climates like Canberra’s, it’s best to plant potatoes in late spring or early summer, when the risk of frost is over. You can buy great heirloom varieties from the Diggers Club, save a few spuds from your favourite farmers market stall or do as I did today and barter some kale seedlings for some funky purple spuds from a neighbour.

 

Stunning potatoes spotted in a farmers market in Alsace, France

Find a garden bed in a good sunny, well-drained spot and dig in plenty of compost and old manure – horse, sheep, cow, kangaroo, whatever you can get your hands on. Plant your potatoes around 10 centimetres deep, 25 centimetres between spuds and 75 centimetres between the rows, and pile up plenty of soil, compost or mulch on top.

If you don’t have that much space, a simple alternative is to go up instead of out. Plant four garden stakes in a diamond shape, either in the garden or a large pot, wrap some plastic trellis around them and drop several potatoes in the middle. Cover them with a good layer of some quality soil or compost, using straw to line the inside of the trellis so the dirt doesn’t escape.

Leafy shoots should appear in about three weeks. Let them get about 15 centimetres tall then add another layer of the good stuff, leaving the tips free. Keep doing this over the growing season, either hilling up the soil and mulch in the garden, or building your vertical tower of potatoes. This will get you an extra supply of potatoes as most of the crop grows about the originally planted potato, not below. Water them regularly. In late summer, the plants will flower then the leaves will start turning yellow, which means it’s time to stop watering and let the potatoes toughen up a bit.

As the foliage starts to die back, dig your spuds up! You’ll be surprised just how many potatoes there are – I got a five kilo crop from my original six potatoes this year, plus another couple of kilos from the accidental crop at the other end of the garden (see, potatoes are for life). Brush off the excess dirt and store the potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place.

There are thousands of ways to transform your crop into comfort food, but some of the simplest are the best. I love to chop my potatoes into quarters or wedges, toss them in olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt and turmeric, and roast them at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30-40 minutes.

I love these potato wedges!

I’m also a bit obsessed with gnocchi – try out this recipe at taste.com.au or leave your favourite recipe in the comments below. It’s fantastic with either my pesto or pasta sauce recipes.

Calling all comfort foodists - what’s your ultimate potato recipe?

Gnocchi with my delicious pesto