The Greenhouse,

is about growing matters, focusing on my greenhouse and potager. I grow mainly vegetables, herbs and spices but flowers have their given place too. From seed to table, this is the nursery for my living food, we cook a lot of delicious food and I say a potager is the cook’s best friend. The greenhouse makes it possible to grow essential, colourful, warmth loving fruit and vegetables even in this climate such as tomatoes and chillies. My main blog is Tyras Trädgård/Tyra's Garden. View my profile

Tuesday

The KING and I - Edward a great spud in the garden

This post, 'The KING and I - Edward a great spud in the garden' was originally uploaded and written by Tyra at the blog The greenhouse in Tyra's Garden http://tyras-greenhouse.blogspot.com/ ABC Wednesday this week it is K for KING.





...named after this man



KING EDWARD (VII)


History of a great spud



It was developed by John Butler of Scotter Lincolnshire and introduced to Britain in 1902. It is one of the oldest surviving varieties in Europe. The Coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 coincided with the introduction of this variety of potato and its name is believed to originate as a ‘commemoration’ of this occasion.


Appearance is everything


This one is a beauty! King Edward potato is predominately faire skinned with lovely pink colouration. Easy recognize among all the other potatoes in the market. It is mostly oval in shape with and shallow eyes. The plant is upright and tall like an ordinary potato plant with numerous stems and rather small green leaves. The King Edward’s flower is redish/purple with white tipped petals and they generally fall off before the harvest.



Gardening for King Tater





The King Edward potato is traditionally planted in April for harvest in September. It is suitable to be grown commercially or in the allotment and can even be grown in pots or bags, although smaller early varieties are much more advisable choice for container cultivation. To do well King Edwards need soil that is rich in humus , farm-yard manure or compost in combination with feeding via a general fertilizer the soil pH about 5,6. It is also advisable to ensure plenty of watering during dry periods. Suggested spacing in a traditional plot are at a depth of 10 cm (4"); spacing - 30-40cm (12 -16"); width between rows - 70cm (28"). It is very resistant to Potato scab and offers some resistance to Potato blight but is susceptible to Potato cyst nematode.King Edwards are not particularly productive, but many people still grow them for their floury texture and their taste.


A Culinary Star


The King Edward potato has a variety of culinary uses and is renowned for its light fluffy texture, for this reason it is perfect for so many potato dishes, particularly suitable for Pommes duchesse, see recipe below, Roasting and Baking although it is also suitable for Chipping, Sauté and Steaming. King Edward is the best potato with which to make gnocchi, kartoffelknödeln, kroppkakor.


I King fit for a Duchess and smooth as satin


Pommes duchesse



Ingredients: 8-10 potatoes King Edward/Idaho boil and peel
2 egg yolk
2-3 tbl butter
salt and pepper to taste


Ingredienser: 8-10 potatisar King Edward, 1-1½ dl gräddmjölk, 2 äggulor, 2-3 msk smör, salt och vitpeppar. Det här blir en sagolik potatismos!



...more recipes with the KING



Recipes for Kartoffelknödeln a German dish.

Leif Mannerström’s recipe Kroppkakor a Swedish old Rustic dish.



Irish Champ 8 medium King Edward/Idaho potatoes, 1/2 cup milk, 5 tablespoon butter, a bunch of spring onions, chopped. and this is how you do it. Peel and cut potatoes and boil in salted water until tender. Drain and mash slightly. In a small pan, heat milk and butter until butter is melted. Add chopped spring onions. Fold mixture into the potatoes until well blended. For 6 people.



Read about more great ABC Wednesday's K here.



TYRA



References: Wikipedia 'King Edward' and 'King Edward potato'

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25 comments:

Anna said...

A great choice for the letter K Tyra. Thanks for the recipes which I shall certainly have a peek at. I always prefer to use King Eddies when I have roast potatoes - no other spud comes close :)

Sylvia K said...

Great post, Tyra, and thanks for the recipes!

VP said...

Hi Tyra - a great K - King Edward spuds are also meant to be the best for chips!

photowannabe said...

Really interesting post and very original. Thanks for the redipies too.

Anonymous said...

So interesting. Thanks Tyra.

Tumblewords: said...

Oh, these are beautiful potatoes - and the recipe looks superb. Thank you!

Katarina said...

Tyra, jag köpte Allers trädgård i helgen - vilket härligt reportage om dig och ditt växthus! Jag är full av beundran...visste att växthuset var fint, men inte sååå fint. Och att du byggt det själv - imponernade!
Kram Katarina

joey said...

Sounds perfect for Easter, Tyra. Thanks for sharing and ... Happy April gardening :)

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

God Morning and thank you for the lovely comments

Anna, King Eddie haha a dear and loved fellow with a lot of names.

I wish you all a great ABC Wedbesday.

spacedlaw said...

Sounds like a tasty versatile potato.

Carolina said...

Oh I always love your photos. Nice post, I have never seen King Edward potatoes here in Holland.

mrsnesbitt said...

Oh spot on! reminds me of a joke....lady goes to market..."Can I have some potatoes please?" "Certainly" says the stallholder..."Will you take King Edwards?" Lady replies..."No, he can take his own!" lol!

Thanks for participating! I do not always have the time to visit everybody but I do appreciate your time and effort.

Denise

Rune Eide said...

Dette var artig! Jeg kjenner selvfølgelig godt til kongen (han var av ganske stor betydning i norsk historie også), men har ikke hørt om poteten - fy meg. Jeg tror ikke den selges her om kring til vanlig, med de oppskriftene dine virket veldig fristende.

Cindy said...

What a fun and informative "K"! Thank you - I just bought potatoes yesterday and needed a new recipe. I think I'll try the Kroppkakor.

Anonymous said...

En klockren bildserie på K, intressant. Du har alltid så fina, genomtänkta bilder.

nilla|utanpunkt said...

Det var åratal sedan jag odlade potatis (bodde i ett helt annat hus i Sverige med rejäla ytor. Här finns det dock inte riktigt plats för spuds. Kul historik!

Kathleen said...

That's a great looking spud Tyra. I like the pink coloring and I prefer thin skinned potatos so King Edward sounds like a winner to me.

Karin said...

Hej, nej det är ett pluggin för WordPress...
//Karin

jay said...

I love King Edwards! I remember when the 'Common Market' tried to make us stop growing them, but the British people have such an affection for this potato that there was a great outcry against this and we were allowed to keep them!

They do have wonderful taste! Thanks for the history. :)

Anonymous said...

What a great post! I am growing my own potatoes this year for the first time, one of them 'King Edwards'. Thanks for the information, take care Fiona

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

K for "knug" sorry kung but I'mn ot the first one who mispells.
Thanks for your kind visit.

Salix said...

Hi Tyra
Wonderful inspiring post about King Edward! K for King or for kartofler? I grow a few different varieties each year to try out and decide which ones we like the most. Bintje (another old variety, bred in 1904) is the winner here!

Miss_Yves said...

And you Are the queen today!

Pat - Arkansas said...

Good choice for "K". I have not heard of King Edward potatoes here where I live. Perhaps they will show up in the Farmers' Market. The recipes look good.

ricer said...

lovely post..
it reminds me of the potato joke about des lynam the common tatta.

kepp up the good work