Potatoes with purple pulp: characteristics, care, cooking methods

Vegetable growing » Potatoes

2

1642

Article rating

Kira Stoletova

Purple potatoes belong to the Bindweed family; in addition to the traditional name, you can hear such names as “Chinese truffle”, “negress”, “blue potato”. This vegetable cannot be confused with anything else, since the crop has a blue peel and pulp, which can be seen in numerous photos. Today we will learn about other features of this vegetable, we will find out whether its consumption is beneficial, and we will also talk about how to plant the crop, what care should be taken, as well as what varieties of purple potatoes exist.

Description of purple potato varieties

General characteristics of purple potatoes

Purple potato varieties are a wild plant native to South America. It was not used for a long time in European countries, until modern scientists decided to select wild game with different modern hybrids and varieties. The result was unusual tubers with a lot of useful properties.

This root vegetable belongs to a perennial vegetable crop from the nightshade family. It differs in that the color of the inner pulp is slightly lighter than the peel.

Natalya Smorchkova talks about growing purple potatoes, their appearance and taste characteristics in the video below:

Appearance

The outer side of the potato, like the pulp, has an exotic hue - purple. However, you can find varieties with lilac, light pink and soft purple colors. Distinctive features:

• oblong shape;
• pulp of medium starchy structure;
• thick peel;
• maximum length – 10 cm (depending on the variety);
• the pulp may be fully or partially colored;
• when boiled – crumbly;
• weight – 50-200 grams.

Taste characteristics

Purple types of potatoes have a special flavor - a delicate nutty flavor, which gives the prepared dishes a peculiar piquancy. But these potatoes are not suitable for frying. Mainly used for making purees.

Striped tomatoes

Summer residents probably have even more difficulties choosing tomatoes than choosing carrots. Over time, each tomato grower determines for himself the best and favorite varieties, which he tries to grow annually. But the soul of a passionate gardener always asks for experiments, and this means that you can and should try new varieties - with fruits of the most unusual shapes and shades. For example, striped, blue or black. Moreover, the taste of tomatoes of different colors is different - choose which one you like best!

Striped cheeks

This productive variety of unusual colors can be grown in greenhouses in the middle zone and in open ground in the southern regions. The bushes are tall, up to 200 cm, so they require a mandatory garter to the support. The fruits are large, weighing about 250 g, growing in clusters of 3-5 pieces. The flesh of these striped tomatoes is dense, juicy, and has a sweetish taste - they are ideal for making juices and pastes.

emerald apple

Mid-season variety intended for greenhouses and open ground. The bushes are tall, up to 1.5 m tall, and yield about 10 kg of tomatoes per plant. The fruits are flat-round, fleshy, with soft, sweet and sour pulp of a bright green color. The average weight of one tomato is 250-300 g, and the color when ripe is green with a bronze tint. They have an excellent delicious taste, dietary and medicinal properties. It is recommended to consume them fresh.

We wrote in detail about other varieties of striped tomatoes here - be sure to look out for new favorites for your garden!

Varieties of Purple Potatoes

There are many varieties of purple potatoes that have been bred by both foreign and domestic breeders:

• Violette (Amethyst, Negress, French or Chinese truffle) is characterized by the large weight of the tubers and the intense color of the core. The shelf life is long, the peel color is the darkest among all varieties. It belongs to the late variety and is universal in preparation.
• All Blue (“all blue”). The color is lilac-blue, the ripening is medium-late, the weight reaches 200 grams. Doesn't last long.
• Red Wonder - medium weight, ripens on the 75th day. A distinctive feature is red veins and depressed eyes.
• Explosion. Belongs to an early variety, weight – no more than 120 grams. The shade is lilac, but with blue spots. Doesn't last long.
• Lilac – the pulp is marbling (blue-white). Weight – medium, variety – early-medium, shape – round-oval. The peculiarity is the sweetness of the almond aftertaste.
• Gourmand weighs 100 grams, color is white-violet.
• Salblue. Tuber weight – 100 grams. Feature - you can prepare salads without boiling.
• Surprise. The pulp has a pink tint, weight – up to 150 grams.
• Miracle plant contains a significant amount of vitamin C and is characterized by average ripeness and low yield.
• Purple cream and Northern Lights. The pulp has white veins.
• Mother of pearl has a shiny skin.
• Night. The pulp is exceptionally dark, without inclusions.

Each variety has common characteristic features, but their main distinguishing feature from ordinary potatoes is that vitamins and nutrients are most concentrated in the peel, so it is recommended to cook potatoes in their “uniforms”.

Multicolored carrots

Even an experienced gardener finds it difficult to navigate when choosing a variety of carrots - there are so many of them, and in the pictures they all look appetizing. It’s time for a novice summer resident to get completely confused! Traditional varieties of orange carrots differ in ripening time, root size and shape, taste and purpose (for storage or processing, for salads or juices).

What if we reveal the “secret”: in addition to orange, there are many varieties of carrots of other colors - purple, red, black, yellow and even white! Each of these varieties is useful in its own way due to the content of different plant pigments. And it is not at all necessary to choose a carrot of a classic color. Moreover, it became such only in the 16th century thanks to Dutch breeders, while carrots with yellow and red fruits have been known since the 10th-11th centuries. So why not go back to basics and plant newly developed varieties of colorful carrots next season?

Caramel purple F1

A late-ripening hybrid that produces a harvest 140 days after sowing. The fruits weighing up to 150 g are colored in a rich purple hue with an orange core, grow up to 20 cm long and are perfectly stored. The hybrid is resistant to diseases and short-term drought, and is not prone to cracking of root crops.

This carrot has a sweetish taste and contains a large amount of useful substances, which makes it an excellent vitamin supplement to the diet. And the original color will allow you to add variety to traditional dishes.

Miami chocolate F1

An early ripening hybrid with cone-shaped fruits of a bright purple hue. The color of the flesh inside is just as rich, with a small light pink ring in the core. The weight of one root crop can reach 180 g.

Sowing and growing these carrots is done in the same way as traditional orange root crops: thinning the seedlings, watering, loosening the soil and treating them against garden pests.

Features of planting, growing and care

With proper care and compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, you can achieve an increase in yield. Therefore, you should strictly adhere to the prescribed standards.

Landing site, soil preparation:

• Purple potatoes should grow on the sunny side, usually in southwestern areas.
• The plant loves a lot of oxygen, so the soil is very carefully dug and loosened before planting. The soil should be fluffy and light.
• The best soil is loamy, floodplain, neutral, soddy-podzolic.

Purple varieties are planted at the same time as regular potatoes - April, May.

Preparation of planting material:

• If you are going to plant seeds, you should initially soak them in the traditional way and give them time to germinate. At home, germinated seeds are planted in pots, after which seedlings appear.
• When using tubers, they should be germinated within a month. The air temperature should not be less than 14 and more than 18 degrees. Root vegetables should receive enough sunlight.

Hilling and loosening:

• The first digging of the soil is carried out before the onset of frost. This is necessary so that pathogenic microorganisms die during the cold weather.
• Loosening and hilling are carried out regularly after the first shoots have appeared.
• If a dry crust has formed on the ground, be sure to loosen and hill up the soil.

Additionally, read the article: how to make a hiller from a bicycle.

Watering:

1. The first watering is carried out after germination.
2. The second time the plant is flooded after the buds are set.
3. The third is when the flowers fall.

If there is no rain, it is advisable to carry out light irrigation weekly. But there is no need to fill it with water, since purple potatoes do not tolerate moisture. This leads to putrefactive morbidity. But the soil should not be allowed to become too dry.

Fertilizer:

• The first fertilizer is produced at the preparatory stages before planting. Humus is used in the amount of 60-75 kg per 1 hectare of land. Additionally, mineral fertilizer is added from 3 kg of superphosphate and one and a half kg of potassium salt (per 1 hundred square meters).
• During planting, pour a handful of wood ash and 1 tsp directly into the hole. nitroammophoskis or nitrophoskas.

Drop off rules:

• depth – 9-11 cm;
• distance between holes – 29-31 cm;
• distance between rows – 59-61 cm.

Disease and pest control

The advantage of purple varieties is immunity to diseases such as scab, rot, cancer (subject to compliance with agrotechnical rules). Average resistance is noted to Colorado potato and other beetles, late blight. Therefore, it is necessary to treat plants with appropriate preparations.

For preventive purposes, it is advisable to treat seedlings or tubers with a manganese solution prepared according to a standard recipe before planting in the ground. To avoid pest attacks, periodically change the planting location, alternating potatoes with beans, phacelia, and cabbage.

How to store purple potatoes?

Purple potato varieties like cool, dry, and dark conditions. Only under such conditions are root crops not susceptible to disease.

Before storing, be sure to check each tuber, selecting damaged ones. Periodically sort through the potatoes, removing spoiled potatoes.

Black tomatoes

Dark tomatoes stand slightly apart from all other multi-colored varieties - not every gardener is ready to go so far in his experiments. However, the so-called indigo tomatoes are one of the most useful types of this crop! Their dark blue, purple or black color is explained by the presence of the same anthocyanin pigment, which, when entering the human body, blocks inflammatory processes, prevents the development of cancer cells, stimulates brain function, and strengthens the heart and blood vessels.

Black Moor

Mid-season variety recommended for growing in film and glass greenhouses. The bushes are medium-sized, 100-150 cm high, and produce a harvest 115 days after germination. The yield is average - 6 kg of tomatoes per bush. Neatly shaped fruits weighing 40-50 g grow in clusters, each with up to 18 pieces. Tomato growers love this variety for the sweet taste of the fruit and ease of care.

Black bunch F1

A new hybrid of tomatoes with unusual fruits the color of ripe currants. The rich dark color appears already at the beginning of ripening, and by the time of full ripeness the fruits become almost black. This deep color is achieved thanks to the large amount of anthocyanins, which further increases the value of the variety.

Black bunch F1 is a disease-resistant early-ripening hybrid, the fruit ripening cycle is about 75 days after germination. Tomatoes weighing from 35 to 70 g have a pleasant taste and light fruity aroma, great for salads and preparations.

Use in cooking

In ancient times, the purple variety was considered the original, exquisite potato, which was sold at incredible prices. It produced unusual dishes with a spicy nutty flavor.

Today, the vegetable is available to everyone, so housewives and restaurant owners actively use it in cooking. It is fried, boiled, baked. It makes excellent potato pancakes, fries, zrazy, potato pancakes, chips, salads, mashed potatoes, baked dishes (especially puff pastries), soups and much more. Dumplings with purple filling look especially unusual.

But its special feature is its use in dietary nutrition, as it promotes weight loss, saturates the body with microelements, and speeds up metabolism.

Cooking features:

1. It is advisable to boil this vegetable in salted water. This will preserve all the beneficial substances in it.
2. After boiling in the “uniform”, the peel is removed more easily than from ordinary varieties.
3. The best combination is considered to be with beans, meat, vegetables, fish and herbs.
4. To make the potatoes boil faster, add 1 tbsp. l. butter, and after cooking (like beets), place the pan under cold water, adding ice cubes.
5. It is forbidden to use a blender, as the mass will turn into a paste.
6. During cooking, natural coloring substances are released from peeled potatoes, so the water acquires an emerald green hue. Don’t let this scare you; on the contrary, you can boil soup or make sauce from the broth.
7. Due to the coloration of the water, the purple variety cannot be cooked together with white potatoes and other vegetables.
8. It cooks quickly, which is something to keep in mind.

Recipes for some dishes:

• Salad. Grate the boiled potatoes, add herbs and garlic, salt and pepper, and season with mayonnaise. Looks great as a sandwich spread.
• Bake whole tubers, peel, cut in half. Place on a plate and drizzle generously with Greek yogurt. Sprinkle greens on top.
• Chips. Peel the raw tubers and cut into slices. Dry with paper towels. Poke holes with a fork. Sprinkle with salt. Place the chips in a metal sieve and place in boiling vegetable oil. Place on a towel until the fat drips off.
• Boil standard noodle soup, but with purple potatoes (the broth will be greenish). At the end of cooking, add grated processed cheese and herbs.
• Casserole. Boil the tubers and crush them. Add a raw egg and a little warm cream. Place fried mushrooms, onions and carrots on the bottom of the pan, and purple puree on top. Then repeat 2-3 more such layers. Place herbs and cheese on the top.

Possible contraindications and indications

There are practically no contraindications for purple potatoes, but you need to limit their consumption in the following cases:

• low blood pressure (hypotension);
• individual intolerance;
• constipation;
• decreased level of gastric acidity;
• terminal obesity.

It is necessary to eat such a vegetable for the following pathologies:

• hypertension (high blood pressure);
• diabetes;
• weakened immune system;
• intoxication;
• some diseases of the heart and circulatory system;
• inflammatory processes in the body.

Benefits and harms of consumption

Useful properties of purple potatoes:

• Decreased blood pressure.
• Inhibition of aging processes (due to the high amount of antioxidants).
• Strengthening the immune system, which, in turn, prevents the development of colds, infectious and other diseases.
• Normalization of water balance.
• Improving the functionality of the endocrine system.
• Sharpening of vision.
• Strengthening the walls of the circulatory system.
• Reduced blood sugar levels.
• Elimination of flatulence, acceleration of the digestion process.
• Reduced acidity during gastritis.
• Reducing inflammation in internal organs.
• Maintaining myocardial function.
• Irritability is eliminated.
• Sleep is normalized.

What harm can there be:

• If you eat potatoes when there are contraindications, the diseases worsen: with hypotension, a hypotonic crisis occurs, etc.
• Abuse of potatoes (overeating): flatulence, heaviness in the stomach, constipation, bloating.
• In case of individual intolerance: an allergic reaction occurs.

Multi-colored radishes

The most suitable “material” for quick spring experiments in the garden or even on the windowsill is radishes. This root vegetable, it turns out, does not necessarily have to be red or red-white. There are varieties of radishes with yellow, pink, white, purple fruits, even the original watermelon-colored variety, and they all contain different valuable vitamins. There is a huge field for creativity both in gardening and cooking!

White marshmallow

An early ripening variety with white root crops unusual for this crop. Ripens on average 20-23 days after sowing. Round-shaped fruits weighing up to 25 g should not be left in the garden - when overripe, they become hard and fibrous. But with timely harvesting, you will get juicy, tender, aromatic radishes with an interesting spicy taste.

Amethyst

The new original variety is interesting due to the purple color of the skin of the root crops, under which lies the traditional white pulp - dense and juicy, with an islandy taste. This is an unpretentious and early ripening variety - no more than 25 days pass from sowing to harvesting. The root crops are formed uniformly, the heads are equal in size and shape, each weight is about 20 g. Sowing is possible in several stages at intervals of 2-3 weeks, and after harvesting in the fall, these radishes can be stored for up to 2 months.

• Radishes in the garden or in the window - varieties and conditions for a quick harvest

  Want to crunch on fresh radishes at the beginning of May? Then it’s time to figure out how to grow it, choose a variety and start sowing!

Reviews

★★★★★
Valery, 48 years old. About 6-7 years ago I was in Europe, and there, while visiting relatives, I was treated to purple potatoes.
Honestly, I was surprised not only by the color, but also by the taste. So, I bought seeds there and started growing them at home. At first the harvest was very small, but then I started planting tubers and things started to progress. Now the wife surprises all household members and guests with unusual dishes. By the way, today, as it turns out, you can buy seeds in Russia. I have already tried 4 varieties - violette, explosion, salble and mother of pearl. I can say that each is good in its own way. ★★★★★
Natalia, 54 years old. My neighbor has been growing violet for 3 years now, I tried it too.
I followed all agrotechnical rules and, indeed, the yield was not bad. We just can’t figure out what specific variety it is, but it’s delicious, with an almond flavor. Maybe someone can tell me? ★★★★★
Maryana, 22 years old. My parents grow Violetta violet, so in winter I am provided with these potatoes.
I prepare zrazy, bake, boil. Yes, anything can be done, if only you have imagination and desire. But what I especially like is that my child, who a priori does not like potatoes, eats purple ones. ★★★★★
Sergey, 49 years old. My relatives sent me purple potatoes from the Krasnodar region.
I don’t know the name of the variety, but I want to tell you about it. There weren’t many potatoes, so I planted them by cutting them into 1-2 eyes. Yes, I sprouted for about 3 weeks. I planted it in the ground and poured ash into the hole. The rest of the time I fed it a little with minerals. What was especially surprising is that there is no need to fill it with water, there are fewer problems. The variety is easy to distinguish from the rest - it has dark spots on the tops. When I dug it up, I was really upset, I couldn’t see the tubers in the ground, I had to call my daughter for help. The harvest turned out to be good, and the tubers are very large. I didn’t expect such a result from just my eyes. The only difficulties are the Colorado attack. The beetle likes this potato more than other varieties. So I collected him almost every day, often poisoning him.

★★★★★
Irina, 37 years old. I bought Violette at an exhibition.
A little expensive, but I wanted something exotic. I planted it in the ground, and after about 20 days shoots appeared. The bushes were small, I thought there would be no harvest, but when I collected them, I was surprised. I calculated so, per hundred square meters it turned out to be about 140-160 kg. Not very much, but considering that I threw in one eye at a time, it turned out well. I liked the fact that the tubers were large, with only 1-2 small ones per bush. I immediately put it aside for the next planting. I always store it in a cellar with ventilation, because, as it is written, the variety does not like humidity. Hide

Add your review

Purple potatoes contain many nutrients, have a unique color, piquant taste, and are used for diabetes and certain diseases. It is not very demanding to grow and care for, but it has its contraindications. If you decide to plant it in your garden and eat it, be sure to take into account all the above facts.

0

0

Copy link

Bright cauliflower

In terms of frequency and volume of cultivation, cauliflower ranks second in the world after white cabbage, which is not at all surprising, given the pleasant appearance, relatively simple agricultural technology and beneficial properties of this crop. By the way, this cauliflower was named not for its color, but for the shape of its head, which is a dense “bouquet” of many inflorescences. But few people know that its color can be very diverse: red, yellow, purple. And why not choose a more interesting variety in the new season?

Graffiti F1

A mid-season hybrid that will delight you with a harvest 10-12 weeks after planting seedlings in open ground. The rounded head has a slightly pronounced tuberosity and is surrounded by large blue-green leaves with a waxy coating. In addition to its pleasant taste and delicate texture, this cabbage is valuable for its high content of iodine and anthocyanins, which give it its purple color.

Graffiti F1 is a hybrid with good yield (5-6 kg per 1 sq.m.), resistant to downy mildew, suitable for growing in spring and summer. This cabbage can be eaten fresh, but with prolonged heat treatment it changes color.

Cheddar F1

High-yielding early hybrid with a dense round head of bright orange color. It is recommended for cultivation in the spring-summer period and produces a harvest 62-66 days after planting the seedlings. It requires traditional agrotechnical measures for this crop - regular moderate watering and loosening the soil.

The average weight of the head is 1.2-1.5 kg. Cabbage is well transported and retains its presentation for a long time. It has a high content of beta-carotene and is versatile in preparation.

And here is another not only healthy, but also incredibly beautiful version of cabbage - Romanesco. This is one of the cauliflower varieties native to Italy. Inflorescences of a rich light green color in the form of pointed cones of different sizes are collected in an elegant bouquet - not a vegetable, but a work of art!

Veronica F1

One of the highest-yielding hybrids with dense pyramidal heads weighing up to 2 kg. The hybrid is mid-early, technical ripeness occurs 2.5-3 months after planting the seedlings. It is resistant to flowering and fusarium, is well preserved on the root, and easily tolerates adverse factors. Its delicate texture and pleasant, delicate “nutty” taste will make this cabbage a favorite delicacy for your family.

Melotria (mini cucumber)

Melothria, or mouse melon, at first glance looks like a miniature watermelon, but upon closer examination it looks more like a cucumber - both in taste and in appearance (leaves, flowers, pulp). This plant cannot boast of the size of its fruits - their length is only 2 cm - but it is beautiful for its unpretentiousness and original appearance. Most often, this crop is grown as an ornamental vine to decorate gazebos and fences. But she also has true connoisseurs of the taste of small “watermelons” - children!

The varietal diversity of melotria is still small, but I think this is only a matter of time. It can be grown through seedlings or sown directly in open ground, like cucumbers.

Hummingbird

The most popular variety of melotria. A perennial herbaceous liana, which is cultivated as an annual in the open ground of the middle zone. The climbing stems of this plant variety are covered with triangular leaves and grow up to 3 m in length. The first harvest can be harvested 45 days after emergence. The size of the fruits is 2-3 cm, they taste like cucumbers with a slight sourness.

The plant can be planted in balcony boxes as an indoor plant. Regular watering and loosening of the soil is recommended, as well as fertilizing with complex fertilizer twice a season. Despite the miniature of the fruits, a decent harvest can be collected from one bush - 5-6 kg!

Decorative hot pepper

Fans of spicy things will certainly like the idea of ​​planting several decorative hot pepper bushes in a garden bed or in a container right on the terrace, next to the barbecue area. Just imagine: you are preparing a fresh salad in anticipation of guests or marinating meat, and you don’t even have to go anywhere to get pepper - just extend your hand. But such a pepper can be grown in a flower pot on the window - both beauty and benefit!

Yellow boom

Mid-season bush pepper, intended for growing in balcony boxes and decorative flower pots. It can grow both in a greenhouse or indoors, and in open space. A neat compact bush up to 45 cm tall is decorated with dense dark green foliage and miniature cone-shaped fruits. Glossy yellow peppers grow in groups of 5 and “look” upward. The fruits, weighing about 10 g, have a medium-sharp taste, can be used as a spice, and are also suitable for drying and preparing for the winter.

Flame basket F1

The name alone makes it clear that this pepper is not to be trifled with! It’s worth planting it in any small container on a windowsill or terrace. The branched bush of a semi-ampeloid shape grows low, up to 35 cm in height and up to 60 cm in diameter.

The hybrid is very productive - it produces up to 70 peppers per plant, and they ripen 87-95 days after germination. During ripening, the fruits will change color several times: from purple to cream, then turn orange and bright red. The most “biting” ones are, of course, the last ones!

• The best varieties of hot peppers for growing on the window

  Hot peppers are one of those crops that do well in apartment conditions. What varieties of hot peppers are best for growing on a windowsill?