This month we proudly present the first 'Confetti Gardens and Friends' magazine issue - an international collaboration between gardeners and visual artists.
We hope you enjoy this first issue of hopefully many more to come...
What’s blooming here?
There are all sorts of wonders happening down deep below the garden soil, but some of its beauty creeps up towards the sunlight for us gardeners to enjoy. What we have here, blooming and enchanting us as a muse, is potato blossoms.
As beautiful as they are, all parts of the potato plant - except for the tubers - are poisonous. Potato plants' flowers come in pale pink, blue, purple, white and red and the colour of the petals often indicates the colour of the tuber and the flesh of the spuds.
Did you know that there’s even a potato flower festival on Prince Edward Island in Canada? What a great idea! Those blossoms are just too beautiful for words and are definitely worth celebrating!
A question worth asking regarding our Confetti Gardens mission to make gardens more biodiverse and pollinator-friendly: Are potato plants actually bee-friendly? Hell yea, they are! Especially for bumble bees, who love a pesticide-free garden where they can forage on the
beautiful potato blossoms.
Let’s see what our fellow gardening friend and potato-lover, Bart, recommends in his article. He truly knows his onions, eehhhhm sorry, potatoes! Welcome on board the Confetti Gardens contributors team, dear Bart, Eva, Malin and Zac!
Thank you so much for your words, images and inspiration, it is great to have you!
Happy reading everyone,
buzzing greetings from Franzi
Ah, the common potato, the humble spud. Despite it being the world’s fourth largest food crop, following rice, wheat, and maize, it rarely puts a spring in our step. If there is any vegetable that has become the synonym of everyday mediocrity in our minds, it surely must be the poor potato. Thrown in large containers or stacked in ugly bags, they are hardly the stars of the vegetable catwalk. I mean, they don’t even look all that special.
The reality is that our poor potato has become the victim to its’ own hard-won success. Hard-won indeed, because the potato hasn’t always been this popular. Brought to Ireland in 1589, it took nearly 4 decades before the spud started spreading to the European mainland. The potato was far from popular at first, which is perhaps not surprising for a member of the deadly nightshade family, nicknamed ‘devil apples’.
Luckily, the spud did have some great advocates, like the French officer and apothecary Auguste Parmentier (whose name might just sound familiar), who organised feasts serving only potato dishes, during a time in which it was actually illegal in France to eat or use potatoes. Once the nutrition and the ease with which the spud can be grown was known to farmers all
around, nothing could stop the potato from conquering Europe in a heartbeat.
sprouting spuds
Alas, the potato fell victim to its own hubris. Or more accurately, it fell to disease.
And as always, when plagues and pests threaten to eradicate one of the world’s most important staples, science steps in. From the 1930s on, new varieties of potato were cultivated, aiming for a higher yield, a better looking potato and a more disease-resistant spud. What was once a colorful and varied vegetable soon became a rather boring and monotone supermarket staple.
But fear not, because not everyone turned their backs on the common potato. These spud rebels and potato artists managed to collect and maintain old heirloom varieties, even up to today. Potatoes that have been preparing for a comeback over the last few years. And it’s home-growers, like you and me, who have been spearheading the battle.
Think about it: no matter how large your garden or allotment, you’ll never be able to outgrow
commercially grown potatoes. So why even bother? Instead focus on the strange, the zany and the delicious varieties that you will rarely find down the supermarket’s vegetable aisle. They are still ever so easy to grow and they will make an everyday mash potato sexy again.
Did I tickle your fancy? Do you think you have what it takes to become a spud rebel? Then let me introduce you to my top 5 heirloom varieties to grow on your allotment!
1) ‘Vitelotte’
Two words: purple mash. The ‘Vitelotte‘ or ‘Vitelotte Noire‘ is a French heirloom variety with a dark, purplish-blue skin and deep, almost violet flesh. Even more exciting: it retains its colour during cooking. The potatoes themselves are on the smaller side and the plant’s yield is perhaps less than your everyday spud, but this spunky crop sure does make up for it in taste and colour!
'Vitelotte'
2) ‘Ratte’
The ‘Ratte’ Potato, or simply known as ’La Ratte’, is a boutique potato (yes, that’s a thing apparently) which has become the favourite of many modern-day chefs. Highly praised for its (chest)nutty flavour and its rich, buttery texture, ‘La Ratte’ shines both as a mash or as a small potato in salads or casseroles. Lower-yielding and normally hand-picked, these little gems fetch quite the price when grown commercially. Luckily, you can grow them in your backyard.
3) ‘Pink Fir Apple’
The ‘Pink Fir Apple’ is not going to win any beauty contests. This fingerling variety is known for its irregular and knobbly shape, which makes it hard to peel the rosy skin. Underneath, you’ll find a creamy, firm potato that shines in almost any dish. With an almost earthy, nutty flavour, the ‘Pink Fir Apple’ is a true spud stud, and the gourmet’s favourite.
4) ‘Belle de Fontenay’
If you’re looking for the ideal salad potato, don’t look any further. The ‘Belle de Fontenay’ is a small, kidney-shaped French potato with a delicious, creamy flesh. This early potato, that stores quite well throughout the lettuce season, will shine both boiled and steamed in any salad you bring to the table.
5) ‘Green Mountain’
The ‘Green Mountain’ potato has always been the star of New England cookery. This firm, round potato with its tanned skin and pale flesh is known to be rich in starch. Ideal for gratins or even potato crisps. The ‘Green Mountain’ is a late season potato that stores extremely well and has become a all-round gardener’s favourite, so why not make it yours?
There you have it: five delicious heirloom potatoes that can use to start your own spud revival. Be warned though: before you know it, you’ll be starting a potato collection!
potato blossom
Text: Bart @agentlemangardener
Foreword: Franzi @confettigardens
Photography: Franzi, Bart and Eva @fleurrustique
Illustration: Malin @eininneresblumenpfluecken
Editors: Franzi and Zac @zac_grows_stuff
Layout / Design: Franzi @confettigardens
CAUTION:
Not all natural herbs and plants are suitable for everyone and consumption may result in allergic reactions. To reduce the risk of injury, please make sure you are not allergic before using parts of the potato. Consult your doctor if you have any pain or allergic reactions when using potatoes. The creators of this program disclaim any liability or loss arising out of or in connection with the services and advice herein.
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