[evie2]

I saw this and wondered what everyone thought

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11477327

[DD.]

As usual the BBC are way behind.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=62101.msg749621#msg749621

[evie2]

And here was me thinking I'd found something interesting

[Pip Judgeford]

We have a very floury purple Maori potato here (came out with the whalers to NZ from South America in the 1830's) and it makes great gnocci - very pretty pale lavender in colour and outstanding with a rich tomatoey sauce.

Pip

[compostqueen]

whereabouts in NZ are you Pip?  My sis lived on South Island last year where her husband was working 

[Babstreefern]

I grew purple spuds this year (I got them free from T&M) , and thought to try them.  Anyway, I boiled them, and all I got was the skin, everything else had gone to water .  They were too small to bake them (not as small as new potatoes though).  So I wasn't impressed

[arugula]

They had those on the business section of the national Breakfast News this morning! 

[TheSpartacat]

Oooh, they look... wow.
If I saw that on my plate, I'd expect it to be a slice of black pudding!!  :blink:

[Pip Judgeford]

whereabouts in NZ are you Pip?  My sis lived on South Island last year where her husband was working 

Just north of Wellington.  Good alluvial soil, 15 light frosts a winter, not cold enough for apricots and not hot enough for limes but pretty good in the middle!   Working hard on microclimates to expand the number of crops: heat trapping stone walls, tyre stacks, frosty pockets.

Pip

[Babstreefern]

Nothing to do with spuds, but I've just arrived back from my hols in Arizona and found a tree full of pomegranates - wonderful

I was also driving along a field which looked like spuds, but was in fact a field of cotton

[Goosegirl]

I grew Edgecote purple spuds lbought oose from a local nursery and really liked them. They were creamy and tasty. With boiling, if they break down too quick, use the knife test next time and don't cook too long or really boil them - just simmmer.

[Pip Judgeford]

Nothing to do with spuds, but I've just arrived back from my hols in Arizona and found a tree full of pomegranates - wonderful

pomegranates in Manchester?  How did you get this to work?  I would love to grow them but thought that even NZ was too cold.  Do tell

Pip

[mumofstig]

pomegranates should grow in your climate Pip 

They grew near my garden in Greece and we had the occasional frost there, and also had snow showers on a couple of occasions

[Pip Judgeford]

Thanks mumofstig.  Will try and track one down

Pip

[DD.]

Nothing to do with spuds, but I've just arrived back from my hols in Arizona and found a tree full of pomegranates - wonderful

pomegranates in Manchester?  How did you get this to work?  I would love to grow them but thought that even NZ was too cold.  Do tell

Pip

I think the reply was not worded all that well.

We don't grow cotton over here either!