Spud police are looking through my tubers
Spud police are talking to my niece
Spud police have got their final orders
Spuddy, drop your fork, it’s Spud police!…to the tune of Leonard Cohen’s Jazz Police
Actually, the Jazz Police may just arrest me for mangling the words of maestro Leonard Cohen.
And if they don’t get me, the potato police just might.
Exhibit A: (some of) my potato plants
You may think I jest, but the spud police are on patrol. I know, because my favourite potato expert Dave Langford told me.
As a grower of heritage spuds, Dave must be licensed and is likely to be visited by the potato police, who will check that he is treating his rare, old and unusual spuds properly.
I ran into Dave yesterday at Lissadell House, which is home to his collection of heritage potatoes. I was there to see Leonard Cohen play on the native soil of his hero WB Yeats and, as a bonus, got to see the ever enthusiastic Dave and some of his (fully licensed) spuds.
I am now, of course, worried that I might be raided by the spud squad, having scored a few heritage spuds from Dave.
Exhibit B: potato fruit as sprouted by some of my heritage potato plants
And if they knew that I had contemplated the breeding of new, never heard of spuds from the seeds of my potato fruit, well I might just land myself in potato jail.
Actually, perhaps I shouldn’t be telling you this.
If anybody asks, you never heard it from me, ok?
Oh my God, inspection..serious stuff.
Potat-o/Tomat-o…Patat-a/Temat-a…Funny lookin fruit there Spud. :)
Valentina: I know :D
Ange: …and let me tell you, you’d feel pretty funny if you ate it too!
Hmm… nice to see ‘green potato’s fruit’…
Is that a potato? I thought it is a tomato. I can say that you are a good gardener and I can see that you are taking good care in your crops. That plant is so green and healthy.
Cooking Tutorials: yes, it’s not something you get to see often!
dining table: that is indeed the fruit of a potato plant, though it does look very like a green cherry tomato; the similarity isn’t too surprising, though, as potatoes and tomatoes do hail from the same family…
Good luck with the spuds. Mine didn’t take at all this year :(
So does the necessity of potato police mean that there’s an underground market for contraband heritage potatoes? LOL
George: sorry to hear that – mine are going ok; they’re small but I planted so many that there’s enough to keep me going
Phyllis: Shhh! I could tell you but then I’d have to, well, you know, do something unpleasant… And you didn’t hear that from me, lol
I’ve mentioned before that the best way to keep my lips sealed is to stuff them with good food! I’ll take a few farls, a box of boxty and anything else you care to make once your potatoes come in. 8-)