The Pick of the Crop
(Page 4 of 10)
This year, the most outstanding potatoes are
yellow-fleshed. Both Tillinghast and Seeds Blum offer
Yellow Finn. This excellent all-purpose potato is
especially good for baking or boiling. Though not large in
size, it's a good producer.
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Becker's Seed Potatoes has several good varieties. Yukon
Gold is the firm's biggest seller and my personal favorite,
because it combines super-culinary and good-storage
qualities. Becker's Pink Pearl has long tubers with
entirely pink skin. This good-eating potato is
disease-resistant, too.
Turnips, Rutabagas and Beets
New turnips are scarce this year, but DeGiorgi Company is
proud of a unique variety called All Seasons that will be
ready to eat in 28 days. The white-skinned, white-fleshed
roots stay sweet much longer in hot dry weather than do
those of most varieties.
Among rutabagas, the best I've grown is Stokes' very
mild-flavored Altasweet. It's a special cross between the
well-known Macomber and Laurentian varieties. Its deep
yellow flesh is somewhat sweet, and Altasweet keeps well.
While my trials included quite a few odd-shaped and
odd-colored beets, most of the outstanding newcomers are
more traditional. Le Marche's Boldet is a full-flavored
British canning variety that grows vigorously and keeps
well in the field. Big Red, a new hybrid from Porter &
Son Seedsmen, is excellent for canning, pickling and using
fresh.
One winner that doesn't fit the normal beet mold is
Macgregor's Favorite from The Cook's Garden. It has long,
dark, carrot-shaped roots with a rich beet taste, and
narrow, spear-shaped leaves that are a deep, metallic
purple. In fact, the foliage is so lovely I'd like to
include it in my flower border.
Carrots and Parsnips
There are so many outstanding new carrots this year that I
can only touch on a few. Crunchy Hybrid from D. V. Burrell
is one of the very best—and
bolt-resistant—Imperator types ever. Its nine-inch,
blunt-tipped roots live up to the crunch in their name.
Pinetree Garden Seeds offers Berlicummer, a long nantes
type that's first-rate in all respects, including flavor
and color. Territorial's Tamino, a very fine nantes hybrid,
is especially noteworthy because it can be left in the
ground nearly all winter without losing its quality.
Midget vegetables have become all the rage lately, and
Liberty's Minicore produces three- to four-inch roots that
are extra sweet and flavorful. Another fine small carrot is
Johnny's Parmex. Its round root matures so early it's often
ready to harvest with peas. Unlike other round carrots,
Parmex develops a sweet flavor and bright orange color even
when immature.
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