GOOD TO GROW
Try a purple people-pleaser
November 6, 2007
Sonia Day
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Purple potatoes; Solanum tuberosum
Poor old potatoes. In our obsession with obesity, they are now scorned. Yet a baked spud has more potassium than a banana, about the same calories as an apple and is virtually fat-free. It's the sour cream (and french fries) that are trouble.
Perhaps this much-maligned tuber is about to get a new lease on life because purple potatoes are suddenly hot with foodies. And here's a curious fact: though they sound peculiar, purple spuds were actually North America's originals, planted centuries ago by the Incas in Peru.
I grew some for the first time this year. Purple Chief, an heirloom variety with purply skin and creamy white insides, was wonderful baked. The flesh had a yummy taste and texture, and the skin turned crispy and deep red in the oven.
But another kind proved less appetizing when its purple flesh took on a greyish hue after cooking.
If you want to try these offbeat offerings they can be hard to find in Ontario. I got mine from McFayden Seeds in Brandon, Man., (mcFayden.com, 1-800-205-7111).
And if space is tight, try growing them in an old trash can with holes punched in the bottom.
Best-selling gardening author Sonia Day's latest book is The Plant Doctor.
soniaday.com
Toronto Star