Potato Time!

It is that time of year again: time to harvest of our potato patch.  I was surprised to learn this year that there are people who have never dug a potato.  I write this for those of you who fall into that category.

Digging potatoes is like Easter Egg Hunting for all ages.  The plant grows up from the mound of earth.  What lies beneath that earth is a mystery that can only be revealed by sticking your hands into the cold soil and searching.  As the orbs are extracted, there is a thrill.  Each extra large potato is like finding a golden egg.  Each potato that has had to grow around a rock in the soil is a hilarity.

We hold contests for largest, smallest, strangest, best face, etc. It is such fun that everyone participates with enthusiasm.  There is chatting and laughing and when someone sticks their hands into the "rotten old mama potato" there are screeches (even from the adults).  Secrets are revealed not only by the earth, but by the kids as their lives post school are unveiled.



There are a couple of things we've learned over the years that we've grown potatoes.  1)  don't dig in the rain.  Muddy potatoes are a mess to deal with.  2)  dig before the snow flies.  (This particular rule is critical and each year I relive the year Vince and I dug them out from beneath a blanket of snow the way my father would tell the story of the Donner party as we would drive home from our ski excursions).

The final yield?  Eight bushels.  That should be enough for a while...