Potato Harvest and Hasselback Potatoes

The potato yield was unbelievable. I have harvested 45 kg of potatoes from only 2.1 meters square – this equates to a whopping 215 Tons per hectare compared to the average for all developed countries in the world of 38 Tonnes per hectare and in New Zealand about 70 Tonnes per hectare. (I am now waiting a call from the CEO of the NZ Potato Council offering me a Seat on the Board) The potatoes were practically the first things I planted after arriving in New Zealand following mulching and composting of the vegetable patch which was pure clay when I started. Digging up the potatoes and then removing clay for another 500 mm and then putting compost down the trenches and covering it all with a mix of clay and soil wore me out and I had to stop halfway through the job to only finish it after two days in the patch. Above is a picture of some of the harvest.

I could not resist putting a few of the potatoes in the oven. I have been reading about these Hasselback Potatoes and they taste as good as they look!

Hasselback Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Potatoes washed, keep the skins on

Rosemary chopped

garlic minced or chopped fine

olive oil and melted butter mixed for basting

salt

Slice each potato in slices about 5 mm thick. Do not slice the potato right through, keep just enough at the bottom to keep the potato intact. Mix the garlic and rosemary in to the butter and oil and toss the potatoes in the mix. Put in oven and when the slices start separating a little baste the potatoes with the left over basting mix. When golden brown test for tenderness and enjoy.

An Artichoke, a Pumpkin Flower, some Sage Leaves = Lunch

I cleaned up the garden and brought in one small artichoke, one pumpkin flower and some sage leaves. I did not know what to do with my meager harvest so I decided to deep fry

every thing. I added some fast home made bread, (pane veloce) put out the last of the carrot top pesto and ricotta cheese. Poured a bit of red and had a great meal.

Flour and Water Batter

1 cup plain white flour

Pinch of salt

water

Mix flour and salt add water a little at a time while whisking until you have a thick creamy consistency. Set aside

Frying the Veg

If you have a very young fresh artichoke, boil it in water for about 20 min or until tender but not falling apart. Set aside on kitchen paper, allow the retained water to drain and cut in half or, if it is a large artichoke, quarter and remove the choke.

Heat about 6 cm of vegetable oil in a pan, when the oil is hot, dip the vegetables in the batter and slip them in to the pan. Do not overcrowd.. When crisp remove the veg, drain on kitchen paper and put in a new batch. Serve immediately, if you wait the batter loses its crispness.

Cardoon and Artichoke

I have a cardoon and an artichoke growing in my veg patch plus two more artichokes in other parts of the garden, all from seeds. I have never grown cardoon before and the mature one that I saw in the Dunedin Botanic Garden was almost as tall as me . It is a huge plant so one needs space to plant it.Next season I shall plant it in the ‘ornamental’ section of the garden since it becomes such a spectacular plant. One eats the ‘flower buds’ on the artichoke and the stems of the cardoon. Artichokes are a firm fixture on our menu when they are in season, but I have never cooked cardoon before. I have been collecting ideas and recipes and shall post my favourites once I have either of them harvested and cooked.

Presently the plant look similar, both have small flowers buds, so I have to wait and see what the mature plants look like. On the left is the cardoon and on the right the artichoke as they are at present.

Cardoon Artichoke

Today’s Harvest

What I harvested today were Carrots, Beetroot, Celery, Spring Onions and Radish. Of all the delicious foods I am going to cook from this I am most exited about the Carrot Leave Pesto. I have all my life made Basil Pesto with the abundance of Basil that was growing where ever I was, but Dunedin has taught me that you cannot grow Basil unless you have Greenhouse. So I have to make Pesto from Carrot Leaves, which I have NEVER done before. Should it be edible at all I shall post the recipe within the next few days.