Yes, this is a totally free crop, potatoes that I didn't buy or plant, leftovers from potatoes we missed digging up last year. In fact this year we planted NO potatoes at all and have been eating new potatoes, late potatoes and now this last batch that I honestly thought would have rotted away knowing how much rain has come down in the last few weeks. So I was delighted when on sticking in the garden fork some lovely clean perfectly formed potatoes were speared by it's prongs!!
Half a dozen of the freshly dug up spuds were used straight away to make a big pan of Leek and Potato soup, it's so very green because I threw in a handful of Kale that was in the fridge, waste not want not!! This fed us for four meals each .... lots of soup.
We had enough for a large pan of chopped bits, avoiding all the green bits and damage where I had slid the prongs of the fork through the potatoes when digging them up, this was turned into mash for a meal one night this week, Bangers and Mash with Red Onion Gravy (veggie sausages for me of course).
Once the pan was full of the bits I popped the rest in a bag and decided to weigh them to see what was left, not bad at all, just under two kilos and that was after a pan full of soup and one of mash.
Leftover mash, because there was far too much for just two portions from that pan full was added to the contents of these pasties, Cheese, Onion and Mash for me and Steak, Sausage, Onion and Mash for Lovely Hubby.
And we still have the bag of spuds in the cupboard, which should last us a couple of weeks at the rate we eat potatoes, but shock, horror I have only one portion of pasta left here, so the next couple of weeks will be about using up spuds and rice.
It's nice to see the supplies going down and I'm finding things I really had forgotten we even had tucked at the back of the cupboards, so there will be some inventive meals coming up in the next few weeks.
I'm off now for a flick round with a duster before a new set of prospective tenants come to have a look around the bungalow, there are lots of surfaces to flick a duster at but luckily no things or books left anywhere to actually dust around.
Sue xx
You can't beat home grown spuds and like you say digging them up truly is a full work out.
ReplyDeleteI must try making a few pasties, they seem to be the one thing we all like that I just don't make.
X x
This is like our "accidental tomatoes" last year - seeds which grew from where the previous years crop had dropped some on the ground, we assume!
ReplyDeletePasties are a great way of using up odds and ends - in fact pastry generally can transform a fridge full of "bits" into a perfectly decent meal!
That's not a bad free crop! Incidentally do you know what variety they are? They seem to have stood well in the ground. Another pasty type idea - Homity pie. I love this recipe, although I don't use wholmeal pastry!
ReplyDeletehttp://fromweedstoseeds.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/homity-pie.html
They must be Maris Piper, that's what we planted there last year, and they were just some sprouted potatoes from a bag from the supermarket :-)
ReplyDeleteCan't beat volunteer potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillo's, peppers etc. I find all sorts of things growing everywhere because my compost heap is a cold one and it doesn't heat up enough to kill the seeds!
ReplyDeleteI planted Maris Piper over 20yrs ago at in the garden of a new house my then partner and I had bought. We did it to break up the soil and added loads of horse manure from a nearby stud farm. It was the most amazing, heavy crop of spuds I've ever grown and kept us in spuds for the best part of the winter! We then dug out the soil and spread it around the garden before, making a base for the greenhouse. happy gardening days!
ReplyDeleteA great haul Sue.
ReplyDeleteWow what a great supply they look lovely and fresh. I make leek and potatoe soup at least once a week its lovely and warming I also do the same as you with the left overs to make pasties :-) I must plant more vegetables next year to its very heart warming to pick your own. Hope all goes well with the tenants, dee ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo work spuds are great. We had the same thing earlier in the year with volunteer plants giving us loads of spuds. Good use of the leftover mash :)
ReplyDeleteSurprise crops like this are just amazing. I also dug out a few potatoes that had been left to crop from last year`s lot. We are still eating some of this year`s crop now. But they soon will be finished, so for Christmas I will have to buy some in.
ReplyDeleteHow do you keep the cabbage whites off your kale. They are such a pest here, even getting through the tiniest gaps in the joins of netting
ReplyDeleteThe Kale was purposefully planted late and kept under a long netting cloche to keep the Cabbage Whites from laying their eggs on the leaves.
DeleteMmm, you've certainly turned your crop into some tasty meals, the soup looks delicious! I've been routing at the back of my cupboard too, and it seems I've got a few jars that I've forgotten about. I can see a couple of veggie curries for me this week :) Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to my flat regular garden - I shall grow some veg there
ReplyDeleteFree - and unexpected - food - you can't beat it. I can understand only too well, going through your storecupboards and getting everything elderly used up, but is your plan to have an empty cupboard before you stock up again? I am a terrible squirrel and would feel very uneasy with a nearly empty cupboard. Sometimes, in our neck of the woods, we have sudden "weather" which prevents us getting out easily, and I learned to always keep a really good storecupboard just in case as we're 10 miles from the shops. I'm a recent follower of yours so don't know your game plan : )
ReplyDeleteWe have supply of basic foodstuffs at all times but we are also looking to simplify even further our current eating habits. All this will be explained as the Blog evolves after our move and Christmas.
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