THIS season's new potatoes,
first earlies, have been on market for past few weeks.Most of crop are Home Guards and British Queens of fairly good quality are also on sale now.
In Capparoe, in Scarriff, in East Clare, potato has a status all of its own.
On 20 acres of gardens and orchards of Irish Seed Savers Association, early potato crops have blossomed and fine yields are expected.
Many of old varieties have been grown, some even saved from extinction.
Some were indeed endangered species, but expert horticulturalist Frank Bouchier and his staff have saved them, thankfully.
Culinary, spud seems to have lost its important place on kitchen table.
Modern tastes groomed on cuisine fashions acquired during travels abroad no longer put same emphasis on quality of potatoe its texture and its flavour.
In past early potato was more or less product of town, suburban or cottage garden, rather than a farmer's crop of late variety that matured later in year.
The Emergency years too were very important for early potatoes.
This was era when townspeople were given plots or allotments by Government so that they could produce essential food.
May Queens and Land Leaguers were widely grown at time.
The Irish Seed Savers Association, launched about ten years ago has been a particularly significant in horticultural scene.
Founded by Anita, an American who lives with her husband, Tommie Hayes, an Askeaton man, in Feakle, she realised that many of old varieties of potatoes, apples and vegetables could be lost.
The gardens at Capparoe have expanded recently and Frank Bouchier, a Dubliner, has now about 40 potato varieties safe and well.
Some were collected from gardeners around country who had protected them over years; others from Department of Agriculture garden centre at Raphoe in Donegal.
"We had a potato day in June where we tasted (with butter only) eight first early varieties we have in our collection," Frank, told me.
About 50 guests sampled spuds and for devotees of tubers results are interesting.
