Potato 'Russian Blue' (Solanum tuberosum)

Potato 'Russian Blue'
Solanum tuberosum

1.1.2003

Can you eat these? They look don't look too good, with these brown spots and they could even be completely rotten, with these cracks in them.

Of course I can, wonder what kind of potatoes you're eating there? Pre-washed and peeled? =)

No, I just thought they looked funny. Never saw such dark ones. Perhaps a new variety? We in the Netherlands have red or yellowish potatoes. I'll show you one kind, called Bildtstar, which are red.

Well, these are purple/blue.. On yellowish potatoes those black spots could bother me ;)

We have all kinds of potatoes here, I most like sweet ones with a compact (or whatever adjective I should use when talking about potatoes..) pulp - you know "kiinteämaltoinen makea peruna".

we have not ever eat those! are those blue potatos good?

Not really tasty, and the pulp is "jauhoinen" wonder what that is in English.. mealy?

mealy or floury.....both are fine!

I think these have a good texture for a small potato but then my tastebuds are a little jaded *G*. They make an interesting mashed and salad potato.

Ideboda

These potatoes were known in England in Victorian times and are thought to originate from a wild species. I doubt they will ever be all that popular throughout the world but I love the flowers so they get a space in the garden.

Baa, I have thought to grow this in my garden next year.. what kind of flowers does it have?

http://plantsdatabase.com/showpicture/5064/

The flowers on mine are light blue/lavender but some are white, they are about 2cm across.

Hmm, they sure look pretty.

Thanks Baa, for the information. So it's not a new kind of potato at all, but in fact a pretty old one, that's never become so popular that it's known everywhere - we don't see it at all in the Netherlands. Potatoes here never have any red or purple colour in their pulp, only in the peel.
From your picture I got the idea the flowers were darker purple or violet than those of other red potatoes, but from your description I doubt that. We have also lavender or pink flowers on plants that form red potatoes.

Ideboda

You're right it's my fault the flowers look darker than they really are, I'm going to try for a better photo this year. Some varieties have beautiful flowers don't they!

There are a couple of varieties that are reddish all the way through that are obtainable here (although they aren't cheap). Again they are grown mainly as curiosities.

That is an interesting looking potato, Here in the US we have several blue potatoes. Most are samll and don't yield well but there is a new one out. The only one that I have grown (Peruvian Blue) has an elongated tuber, and bakes to a mealy blue flesh. More of a novelty than anything, but if one eats it with closed eyes, they couldn't tell the flavor from that of a russet (Idaho type).