Purple potatoes, cultivation, yield, taste of purple potatoes. Potato with purple flesh and purple skin. Features of growth. Review. Video

This spring, a neighbor bought 2 kg of purple potato tubers for planting at the Lorch Institute. I got five tubers for planting.

Growing purple potatoes, growth characteristics, yield.

The shoots of this potato were of an incomprehensible color, but over time the color changed and the leaves turned green. The flowers of this potato are very large. I have grown 2 different varieties. One variety bloomed with pink flowers, and there were very few such flowers, and the second variety bloomed with white flowers, there were many such flowers. Most likely, out of five tubers, one tuber with purple flesh was planted, and four tubers had white flesh with purple stains.

The thickness of the stems of this potato surprised me greatly, the stems were very thick. And the tops survived their neighbors and gradually mastered all the space they could reach. I mastered all the passages, climbed into the garden with garlic, used the neighbor's fence, in general, I enjoyed life! And of course it bloomed.

The care of this potato was the same as for all the rest.

By September 17, late blight won, and we harvested. Potato tubers were not just large, but very large. Digging potatoes is very difficult, they are not visible in the ground. It is not realistic to choose small nodules at all, most likely next year there will be thickets of potatoes in the garden, which will sprout from small, not found nodules.

Five tubers yielded 18 kg of very large potatoes.

What does purple potatoes taste like?

Until you peel the potatoes, it is impossible to determine whether they are all purple, or only partially. We welded. The appearance of boiled potatoes is not appetizing, the color turned gray, but the taste is good, which surprised us. Very edible too.

The fried potatoes were also delicious, the color changes during frying, it is difficult to determine whether the potatoes are ready to eat.

Next year, most likely, I will plant purple potatoes from cut tubers to separate two different varieties. "Growing potatoes from chopped tubers" -

Video. Purple potatoes. Cultivation, yield, taste of purple potatoes - review

Purple potatoes have appeared on store shelves not so long ago, but have already gained popularity. The vegetable differs in the color of the peel and the tubers themselves - deep purple, in some cases reaching black. Brought culture in South America.

The culture belongs to the bindweed family. Purple potatoes have several other names: "French blue truffle potatoes", "black woman", "Chinese truffle". The length of the tubers is about 10 centimeters. Weight reaches 70 grams.

The main varieties of culture are Purple Peruvian, Purple Majesty, Purple Viking.

Beneficial features

There is one rule that says that darker colored fruits are the most valuable. Purple potatoes are no exception. It contains a huge amount of antioxidants. Anthocyanins have anti-cancer properties and are great for boosting immunity. Among other things, they are responsible for the integrity of the DNA structure.

Since purple potatoes are high in antioxidants, they help slow down the aging process in the body. The high content of ascorbic acid helps to strengthen the functions of the whole organism, especially during infectious diseases.

In the course of research work, it was found that the purple vegetable of the described species perfectly reduces high blood pressure. The thing is that potatoes have a beneficial effect on blood vessels, including capillaries. Potatoes also contain chlorogenic acid, which is responsible for blood pressure in mice.

It is important to remember that purple potatoes are quite high in calories due to their high starch content. It tastes like a regular potato, but the texture is creamy and there is a subtle nutty flavor.

A lot of useful substances are found in the peel of potatoes - these are polyphenols, vitamin C and potassium.

Clinical studies show that regular consumption of purple vegetables can improve vision. Among other things, the risk of atherosclerosis is several times reduced. The walls of blood vessels become stronger and more elastic, and the incidence of a number of oncological diseases decreases.

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What is the difference between purple potatoes and ordinary potatoes.

• Its tubers have an oblong shape, the flesh is purple, the peel is dark purple. Even after boiling or frying, the fruit does not lose its unusual color.
• The beneficial characteristics that purple varieties possess make it possible to use them in traditional medicine to prevent stroke and reduce pressure. Medicinal properties appeared due to the content of starch, anthocyanins, potassium, carotenoids, calcium, phenolic acids.
• Since the variety is distinguished by the presence of a thick peel, it can be stored for a long time. The sphere of use of unusual potatoes is very extensive: it is boiled, fried, baked, used as an ingredient for salads, stews and casseroles.

Contraindications

You should not eat purple potatoes for those who suffer from hypotension - low blood pressure. Among other things, it is worth abandoning the tuber for people with individual intolerance to the product. It is worth keeping track of how many potatoes you consume per day - you should not overdo it.

Landing and care rules

First you need to get seeds. They are being grown. You can find out by reading the relevant article on our website. Be prepared that about half will rise. Seeds are sown in April. They are placed in open ground only in May.

It is necessary to carry out hilling. Lawn grass or pre-weeded weeds are laid out between the bushes. Of top dressing, biohumus should be preferred.

Take only high-quality soil for seedlings and monitor watering, otherwise mold will form and you will have to treat with special preparations.

Harvesting takes place at the end of August. At the same time, the weather should be good.

Where is it currently grown?

Recently, custom-colored potatoes have become increasingly popular. It is grown in Canada, Scotland, USA, South Korea. Moreover, tubers in these countries can be easily found on store shelves. The success of the vegetable is due to the exhibition, which was held in 2007.

In Korea, a special diet has even been developed based on the vegetable. Also, culture is actively used in the field of cosmetology. It is used to produce anti-aging masks and soap, which has a delicate texture. In America, purple potatoes began to be used for the production of chips.

In Russia, the presented potatoes have been grown in Tomsk since 2011. In 2007, one of the employees of the Siberian Research Institute of Agriculture received original tubers as a gift from breeders from South Korea, who came to Russia for an exhibition where amazing varieties were presented. At the same time, not only purple, but also orange and pink varieties were put on display. However, the more intense the color, the more useful the vegetable, so Russian scientists preferred purple potatoes.

It is known that the presented variety was bred in the Urals. But while it does not go on sale and is grown inactively. You can see amazing tubers in private gardens. This means that in a couple of years, healthy vegetables may be on store shelves and become familiar.

There are several varieties of purple potatoes. All of them are very useful and have the original color of the peel and pulp. The homeland of an exotic vegetable is South America, but at the moment tubers can be found in many Western and Asian countries and in Russia. The hardest part about growing potatoes is germinating the seeds. Otherwise, the care is exactly the same as for the usual standard varieties of the usual color.

Violet variety potatoes appeared on our markets relatively recently. But, it is already very popular among the population, as it attracts attention with its unusual coloring. Let's take a closer look at it.

Description of the variety and characteristics

At the University of Colorado, USA, breeders have been working for a long time to bring out a "cultivated" variety of potatoes, with flesh that has a blue-violet color.

Origin of the variety

The homeland of the Purple potato is South America, or more precisely, a village in the Andes mountains. It is noteworthy that these potatoes were bred without any genetic intervention. After some time, the variety "reached" to Europe.

In Russia, the first attempts to develop the Purple Potato were made in Siberia. It was here that potatoes of various colors were bred. But, the "mission" was crowned with success only in 2011 in Tomsk. The materials used were brought from Korea.

Today you can find a lot of varieties of purple potatoes. The most popular of them are: Vitelotte, Negress, Gypsy, French Violet. They differ only in color saturation.

One thing unites them - all these varieties are very useful, and contain much more various nutrients than ordinary potatoes.

Composition and calories

The main characteristics of the variety:

• The average size of tubers is 90-14 g;
• Shape - rounded, slightly oval;
• Tubers are smooth, glossy;
• The peel is thin, purple;
• Pulp - also has a purple color of lesser intensity;
• The starch content is about 13%;
• Contains proteins, iodine, a lot of vitamins, and other useful substances.

Important! Purple potatoes are very high in calories. It tastes like a regular potato, but the texture of the fruit is creamy, potatoes with a nutty flavor are often found.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Like all other varieties of potatoes, Violet has its pros and cons. Let's consider them in more detail.

Positive qualities of purple potatoes

Firstly, Purple potatoes are an opportunity to decorate the table as beautifully as possible. With it, you can create a wide variety of "compositions" of dishes.

Secondly, boiled purple potatoes have a blue tint, and their taste is almost always the same as an ordinary one. So, the dish turns out to be very attractive in appearance, but its taste properties do not change.

Most importantly, this potato variety contains anthocyanins, which give it such a color. It was this fact that interested breeders so much. After all, these substances have almost healing properties.

The main sources of anthocyanins:

• Pomegranate;
• Currant;
• Mulberry;
• Blackberry;
• All other fruits are purple.

Anthocyanins are glycosidic substances, and their color is due to the fact that they are in the pH environment. The latter contributes to the fact that the color of the fruit becomes reddish. And, if you add vinegar or lemon juice to Purple potatoes, it will change its color.

Purple Potato Contraindications

Purple potatoes have absolutely no contraindications. On the contrary, it is recommended to add it to the diet for those people who suffer from:

• diabetes mellitus;
• hypertension;
• Cardiovascular diseases;
• Intoxication of the body;
• Reduced immunity;
• Any inflammatory pathology.

How and where to grow purple potatoes

Competent care and compliance with all planting rules are the main factors on which the yield of this variety depends. The landing site should be chosen so that the area receives a lot of sunlight. The best option is the southwest of the garden.

Soil preparation

The earth must be light so that a constant supply of oxygen is provided to the plant. Water also should not stagnate - you need to ensure its normal outflow.

It is light soil that can cope with this. Therefore, such potatoes will grow best on sod-podzolic, neutral, loamy and floodplain lands.

In order for the plants to take root and the fruits to form correctly, you need to carefully dig up the place for the future planting of potatoes. The first digging is best done before winter.

The fact is that all large clods of earth, plowed with a shovel, will remain at the top, and as soon as frost hits, all harmful larvae and bacteria will die.

Landing and care

Purple potatoes should be planted in the spring, when the soil warms up to at least +5 degrees. First, the earth must be dug up, loosened, prepared holes for the tubers, put wood ash into them.

Wood ash is not just a storehouse of useful trace elements. It is considered an excellent disinfectant that helps prevent a lot of potato diseases.

The pits must be made so that their distance relative to each other is at least 35 cm in a row. Between the beds you need to maintain a distance of at least 65 cm.

If the plants will be planted in solid ground, then it must first be mixed with river sand. The pits should be at the level of 10 cm in depth.

Caring for plants is simple - they need watering every 7 days (if there was no precipitation). When a crust forms on the ground, it must be carefully loosened. If the soil is wet, it can cause the development of various diseases. Therefore, this "parameter" also needs to be monitored.

Of course, this potato variety also needs systematic feeding, treatment with drugs from late blight, and various pests. The procedure is carried out according to the instructions for the substance.

Diseases

The purple potato variety is immune to the most common crop diseases: cancer, rot, scab. Shows moderate resistance to late blight. Also, pest control may be needed.

As a preventive measure, before planting potatoes, it is necessary to pickle the planting material with potassium permanganate. It is also important to change the planting site every few years, and alternate the crop with legumes, cabbage, and phacelia.

Click beetles and Colorado beetles are the main enemies of this variety. They spoil the tops, reduce yields, negatively affect the keeping quality of potatoes, and its appearance. Therefore, they need to get rid of with the help of insecticides.

Potatoes are rightfully one of the most versatile vegetables in the world. Hundreds of its varieties are known and cultivated, however, this vegetable continues to amaze gardeners. The purple potato, or blue French truffle to use its full name, is considered a delicacy and also has many health benefits.

Origin and description of culture

There is no exact information about the origin of this species. Presumably, this is one of the varieties of potatoes that has long been common in South America. The result of long-term breeding work and careful selection was the development of new fixed hybrids with tuber flesh color from lilac to dark purple.

The color of purple potatoes is affected by the percentage of anthocyanins in it - colored plant glycosides. Elongated tubers have a medium-sized size and weight - no more than 10 cm and 70 g, respectively. Most varieties are late ripening, but there are medium and extra early. The higher this indicator, the denser the skin of the tubers and the better the keeping quality.

Culinary processing does not change the color of dishes of the main number of varieties, but some may lose their brightness and color purity after thermal exposure.

The following descriptions and characteristics of the most famous and tested varieties that are popular all over the world will help gardeners who want to grow such a “blue miracle” on their plots to decide and make a choice:

• Vitelotte (Vitelotte, also known as Negress and French Truffle) is a late variety with dark purple skin. The ripening period is up to 110 days, it is stored for a long time without loss. It has a characteristic rich nutty flavor and does not change color when cooked. Tuber weight - 70-100 g;
• All blue (the exact translation of the original name All Blue) is medium early, has large tubers - up to 200 g in weight. A characteristic feature of the variety is a light strip between the pulp and the skin. Thanks to its excellent taste and dietary properties, it is quickly gaining popularity in our country;
• Explosion (Explosion) - got its name due to super-early fruiting (up to 65 days). The flesh and skin are an even dark purple color. A distinctive characteristic is high resistance to diseases. It is stored poorly, but good for quick consumption in any dishes, including raw in salads;
• Lilac - a variety of Russian selection, mid-season. Despite the small mass of fruits (up to 80 g) and the average yield, it has good keeping quality and resistance to diseases (cancer and scab). Having the taste of almonds, it is considered a valuable dietary product;
• Peruvian purple (Purple Peruvian) - bred in Peru. Late maturing variety with medium yield. As you can see in the picture, the Peruvian potato is small in size, but its amazing taste - walnut and hazelnut at the same time - arouses the constant interest of consumers.

Useful properties and application

Despite the same name, the purple "brother" of the white potato has incomparably fewer harmful qualities and has many unique, healthy substances.

You cannot get better from this product if you do not eat it along with fatty and flour additives. The beneficial properties of purple potatoes are the basis of the fact that in many countries it is considered a particularly valuable, dietary product.

Nevertheless, excessive passion for blue varieties can in some cases bring not only benefits, but also harm.

Benefits and contraindications

Colored varieties contain much more micro and macro elements than ordinary ones, which do not decrease even after prolonged heat treatment. This is the reason for the benefits of purple potatoes. In a frozen and canned (pickled, salted) form, the vegetable retains its beneficial qualities. It is recommended in many children's diets.

The main medicinal properties of the product:

• lowers pressure, and so much that it is not recommended for hypotensive patients for constant use;
• anthocyanins, which give the culture its recognizable color, are also powerful antioxidants. They stimulate metabolic processes at the cellular level, strengthen the immune system, neutralize the harmful effects of carcinogenic substances and radio emissions on the human body, help it suppress oncological neoplasms, improve vision and slow down the aging process;
• contains a large amount of vitamins, especially important for the human body C and E, as well as carotenoids that affect the synthesis of vitamin A and regulate the endocrine system;
• useful substances contained in blue varieties make the walls of blood vessels more elastic, which reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Practice shows that eating purple species can harm hypotensive patients and people with individual intolerance to the components of the product.

Use in cooking

Purple potatoes are suitable for any kind of use: they are boiled, stewed, fried, used in preparations with marinades, and some are eaten raw in salads.

This type of culture is starchy, and therefore, due to its strong boiling, it is better suited for making mashed potatoes. Naturally, it turns out a rich lilac or purple hue. The original, sweetish nutty flavor makes the dishes gourmet.

Some varieties lose their color intensity when boiled, turning lilac to blue instead of purple.

Growing features

Planting purple potatoes is possible with tubers and seeds:

• with the traditional option (tubers), the sowing dates are the same as for ordinary species;
• in the second case, seedlings are grown from purple potato seeds, which are planted in open ground after 1-1.5 months.

Soils are chosen light, and the site is light, sunny: purple potatoes need constant access to air and light. With timely traditional processing methods, she will thank with a high and valuable harvest.

There are a number of things that have been used by people in everyday life for many centuries, and during this time they have not changed at all. It was hardly possible to expect something new, for example, from potatoes. However, today this root crop can be very surprising, because a new variety has appeared - purple potatoes. This is not about a potato with a pale pink skin and white flesh, but about a vegetable that has a purple color both outside and inside, and in the context it looks more like a beetroot.

Peculiarities

The first thing that comes to mind when you see such a vegetable is a chemical laboratory and people in bathrobes who are diligently genetically modifying an ordinary potato, instilling in it the genes of a beet (at best) or something more unconventional. In fact, purple potatoes are a product of ordinary selection.

Today it is already difficult to say where this miracle came from on our shelves, but the most reliable option is this: most likely, purple potatoes were brought from South America. The inhabitants of Peru and Bolivia have been eating it for a very long time. In addition, some scientists believe that the purple potato is the ancestor of the white potato. In ancient times, when the potato was still a wild plant, it was all purple, but in the process of cultivation and selection, most of the varieties lost their color and became white, and some retained their former appearance.

To date, there are about 120 varieties of such potatoes, most of them grow well in the Russian climate.

The main characteristic that distinguishes the varieties from each other is the shade of the pulp, it can be from pale pink to dark purple and even blue. There are also varieties with white skin, but colored flesh. Growing such vegetables is more difficult than regular potatoes: they have a much longer ripening period, and the yield is much lower, so these varieties are not in demand in industrial cultivation. Among small farmers and household plots, on the contrary, there are more and more fans of such a vegetable.

Purple potatoes taste slightly sweeter and have a pleasant nutty flavor, but this does not spoil it at all and makes it more attractive to culinary experts and gourmets.

Useful properties and harm

There is no such food that would not bring at least some benefit to the human body, but sometimes it happens that the harm from a product far outweighs the benefits. Therefore, before using this new, exotic product, it is important to weigh the pros and cons.

Benefit

Purple potatoes are high in antioxidants, which are essential for boosting immunity and are good for fighting colds and viral infections.

• This potato contains much less sugar and starch, so it is easier to digest and is a more dietary product than usual.
• When used regularly, the antioxidant anthocyanin will help slow down skin aging and prolong youthfulness.
• The high content of vitamin A has a beneficial effect on vision, reduces the risk of diseases of the vascular system and the development of cancerous tumors.
• Moderate starch content normalizes the work of the gastrointestinal tract, protects against peptic ulcers and gastritis.
• It removes toxins and heavy metals from the body, which significantly improves blood flow.
• It normalizes metabolism, which can greatly alleviate the fate of people suffering from diarrhea, flatulence or constipation.
• Has an anti-inflammatory effect.
• There are only 75 kcal in 100 grams of purple potatoes, so it can be considered a dietary product that is close in calories to white fish or mussels.
• Prevents heart attacks, heart failure and atherosclerosis.
• Improves blood, saturating it with minerals.
• Blocks the development of diseases of the organs of vision, such as cataracts, glaucoma, myopia. Thiamine, contained in this potato in large quantities, slows down the aging of the retina and clouding of the lens of the eye.
• It contains many vitamins and trace elements: folic acid, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, potassium, calcium, magnesium, fluorine, iodine, selenium, iron and much more. Nutritionists recommend this product for weight loss, but they recommend diluting it with other dietary vegetables to further increase the amount of vitamins.

Harm

The only, but very significant, harm that can be obtained by eating purple potatoes is a decrease in blood pressure.

This vegetable is undesirable in the diet of people who suffer from hypotension, because their pressure is often below normal, an even greater decline can lead to serious health problems and even coma.

However, this does not mean that healthy people can consume it immensely. It is worth remembering that this is still an exotic product, since our gastrointestinal tract "met" only with a distant relative of this product - it may not immediately begin to secrete all the necessary enzymes. This will lead to heaviness in the stomach.

The best varieties

Choosing the best variety - this issue is most often of concern to gardeners who are eager to get a good harvest, the most useful and tasty to use and at the same time easy to grow. In order to understand which variety is best suited for home cultivation, it is worth studying the description of several of the most popular varieties in our area.

Vitalot

The most common variety of purple potatoes in Russia. There is a legend that Alexandre Dumas loved this potato variety so much that he mentioned it in one of his books. This variety is imported from France. Potato tubers grow very large: from 500 grams or more, oval in shape, elongated. The flesh is bright purple, occasionally with small white dots. This variety is late ripening, it should be harvested almost in October, but it is most suitable for long-term storage.

Chips from this potato variety will be very attractive, and the pattern of white small dots will create the illusion of space in each slice.

"Amethyst"

This variety was bred by selective breeding by Russian scientists. It is resistant to adverse climatic conditions of the North and can be grown in the Urals. Resistant to late blight, blackleg, leaf curl, scab and potato cancer. "Amethyst" is a mid-season high-yielding variety suitable for long-term storage. Harvesting can be done 65-80 days after germination. The color of the peel and tubers is dark purple, uniform, without inclusions. The weight of tubers can reach 400 grams.

"Violet"

An early high-yielding potato variety is quite popular among lovers of "colored" potatoes. This is perhaps the only variety suitable for frying, since it contains a large amount of starch, which prevents the product from soaking in oil. Despite the precocity, the tubers can reach 500 grams, the skin color is bright purple, the flesh is white-violet, marbled. The variety is resistant to late blight, scab and viral diseases.

"Explosion"

The earliest of all popular varieties of purple potatoes. It got its name for its fast and productive fruiting. Despite the small weight of tubers, which rarely exceeds 150 grams, this variety has a high yield. From one bush you can collect up to 3-4 kilograms of potatoes. The color of the tubers is blue-violet. Full maturation occurs already on the 65th day after germination.

"All Blue"

This variety differs from others in its unusual bright blue color. The tubers of this variety grow relatively small, on average about 200 grams. The color of the peel is dark blue, while the flesh shimmers from blue to bright blue. Variety "All Blue" is ready for harvesting on the 70-80th day after germination, it is considered medium-late. The fruits are quite well stored in the cellar.

"Red wonder" (red miracle)

By the name of this variety, it is logical to assume that the color of its pulp is red, but this is not entirely true. The flesh of this root vegetable is rather pink, sometimes it can be coral, and the peel is light purple. This is also a mid-late variety, it is most adapted for growing in central Russia, it is resistant to aphids and fungal diseases, and is not afraid of droughts and floods. Its fruits are round, reach a weight of 150-200 grams.

How to cook?

To date, purple potatoes are still considered a delicacy and not available to everyone. Therefore, there are well-founded doubts about its preparation. In the world of haute cuisine, this vegetable, on the contrary, has been found for a long time and does not surprise anyone. Many eminent chefs have long used it to prepare their masterpieces and are happy to share their experience in preparing this wonderful root crop.

Renowned TV cook Hector Jimenez Bravo recommends roasting purple potatoes. To do this, you need to select small tubers, wash them thoroughly, make punctures with a fork in several places, rub the potatoes with olive oil and put them on a baking sheet. It should be baked in an oven preheated to 200 degrees from 40 minutes to 1 hour. Ready potatoes need to be cut into halves and a part of the pulp is selected from the middle so that boats are obtained. The selected pulp must be mashed, add chopped cheese, ham and herbs, mix everything. Fold the resulting mass into prepared boats, put a small piece of butter on top and bake for another 10 minutes.

The most famous modern culinary specialist Gordon Ramsay advises using purple potatoes for salads. To do this, boil the potatoes in their skins. In order to preserve the color of the product during the cooking process, it must be boiled only in salted water and no more than 20 minutes. You can combine such potatoes with cheese, fish, meat, sausages, smoked meats, legumes complement it wonderfully.

It is best to fill such a salad with natural vegetable oil with a drop of lemon juice or balsam.

Mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, vegetable pancakes will look great. Such a miracle vegetable can decorate any soup. But purple potato chips will look the most spectacular. Cooking such chips should be a "dry" way. The easiest of these is microwave cooking. Potatoes must be thoroughly washed, dried and cut into very thin circles. Dry the resulting blanks again or blot with paper towels, fold in a single layer on a wooden microwave tray and bake for 3 minutes at a power of 600 watts.

It is not worth frying such potatoes, as well as making french fries or chips in oil. In the process of frying, it absorbs a large amount of oil, acquires an unpleasant texture and taste of a “stale” dish. Reviews about fried purple potatoes are quite negative.

Purple potatoes need to be planted at a great distance from other crops.

The distance between the holes should also be made at least 50 centimeters in all directions. During the growing season, purple potatoes grow into unusually tall bushes, the trunks of which are rather thick and rough. The first leaves on the trunks may have a grayish or purple hue, but in the future they will become as green as ordinary potatoes. The greenery of this root crop spreads very widely to the sides, which can harm neighboring crops.

You can start planting at the same time as planting ordinary potatoes, and it is better to postpone harvesting until mid-September. Purple potato tubers can grow up to 1 kilogram, and up to 15 such tubers can be harvested from one bush. They are not recommended for replanting. Experienced gardeners have come to the conclusion that the harvest from last year's tubers will be noticeably smaller. For planting next year, it is better to purchase seeds in specialized stores. A large number of domestic scientists and breeders are working on solving this problem, and it is likely that it will be solved soon.

To learn how to make unusual purple potato gnocchi, see the video below.