Search results: "potatoes"Page 1 of 3

Protecting Potatoes: Diversity, Domestication and Darwin

Protecting Potatoes is a new plant display with interpretation for summer 2018 at the Botanics. It can be found in the Demonstration Garden and the Temperate Palm House, and has…

Devil’s Advocate: Let Them Eat Potatoes

…is definitely a South American theme developing here). The Tsimane don’t get heart disease because they just eat potatoes whilst the Scots, who could easily live off potatoes but don’t,…

Strawberries in baskets; potatoes in pots

…well. If you have room for a large pot try setting a few chitted potatoes in a bed of soil or compost. When planting, rub out the weakest sprouts, leaving…

Digging for Potato Treasure

potatoes from the high Andes of South America. Potatoes these days all look much the same. The familiar spherical beige tubers are pretty much all we see in the shops….

Botanic Cottage Cook Club March 2020

…your potatoes for longer.  The chilli freezes well too. 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes per person 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped…

Recreating Edinburgh’s potato

Scotland has a global reputation for potato research, and as a producer of quality, disease free, seed potatoes used by farmers. Many people would think that the tattie is a…

Anticipating the new potato season

potatoes that we had last year thanks to the James Hutton Institute. However, alongside them we will be growing potatoes that our volunteers Liz and Jan have created by doing…

Origin of the Edinburgh potato

…from Edinburgh potatoes was likely the result of viable pollen coming from nearby cultivated potatoes. This explains the observation of high variability by Sutton as this second generation of plants…

What to do in your fruit and vegetable garden in Scotland: FEBRUARY

…stocking seed potatoes. Potatoes are tender and should not be planted out until late-March or early-April. Seed potatoes can be encouraged to sprout before planting by placing them in a…

Edinburgh potato faces late blight

A new twist in the story of the Edinburgh potato (Solanum xedinense) could be the most interesting yet. Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) symptoms were found on many of the potatoes

Potato blight

…it should be burned rather than composted. The potatoes can be dug up and eaten fresh. If you want to try and store the potatoes leave them in the ground…

What to do in your Fruit and Vegetable Garden in Scotland: APRIL

…and rewarding crop to grow; the best time to plant them is April. To plant the potatoes dig a narrow trench 12.5cm deep. In the trenches place ‘early’ seed potatoes

Funding news and potato deliberations

potatoes to form shoots before planting. It is usual to chit the potatoes for 4-6 weeks, dependent on the weather (and when they arrive in the post!). We will pop…

Edinburgh’s potato: flowers at last

…is found where fields of potatoes grow alongside the wild potato and interbreeding happens naturally. Flower of Solanum xedinense, otherwise known as the Edinburgh potato. But why, you might ask,…

Two interlopers

…whatever their size. Any remaining, known as volunteer potatoes, will then sprout and grow the following season and can be vectors of pests and disease. Rubus sp. Last season potatoes

Botanic Cottage Cook Club Late January 2021

…kitchens. I have a new pancake recipe that I can’t stop making- with sweet potatoes! It might sound unusual but they are so naturally sweet and delicious. For a quick…

Botanic Cottage Cook Club Early March 2021

…still waiting for spring produce. Our recipes this week include potatoes, parsnips, leeks, mushrooms and broccoli, all of which are grown in the UK.  I’ll make no apology for including…

Size isn’t everything

…the shops; it is rather small to put it politely. We did not really know what to expect, but were hopeful of digging up potatoes about the size of walnuts…

Gardeners Kitchen – Runner Beans

…potato stew. Here is the recipe: Chop four medium sized waxy potatoes into small chunks and boil in salted water until tender. Meanwhile sauté a chopped onion, several cloves of…

Botanic Cottage Cook Club Late February 2021

…lunch and is good hot or cold. The peas and mint in this recipe give it a spring-like flavour, new potatoes are really good in this recipe too if you…