Scab is the athlete’s foot of the garden, present everywhere
Cleaning Up Scabby Soil
The Pea Patch I inherited produced a lot of volunteers this spring, relicts of past crops. I left a lot of the borage for the pollinators, which are eagerly nuzzling the bright blue blossoms from dawn until dusk. Kale also sprouted everywhere and we ate the thinnings for months. Potatoes also popped up everywhere, as they do; once you grow potatoes, you’ll always have them. Those tiny potato-ettes hide in the soil when we harvest the bigger ones and lurk over the winter, only to sprout vigorously come spring. I harvested over ten pounds a few weeks ago from plants spilling into the path, and this weekend dug up almost as many more. Sadly, they’re all scabby to some degree. Happily, that doesn’t matter to their flavor or nutrient quality. Some can be scrubbed fairly clean, but the worst of them do need to be peeled, which does remove some of the vitamins.
I can’t complain about the volunteer crop, but I am concerned about the soil contamination. Common pretty much everywhere potatoes are grown, potato scab is caused by Streptomyces scabies, a saprophytic, bacterium-like organism that can find a host in nightshades as well as carrots and beets and related weeds like Queen Anne’s Lace and pigweeds (Amaranths). Scab also overwinters in soil and decomposing foliage, which makes getting rid of it entirely unlikely. The best way to clean the soil is to use only fully mature compost and to grow a cover crop from a family that is not an alternate host (that rules out buckwheat). Once I clear the bed in autumn, I’ll sow annual clover and plant cool season greens, from arugulas and chicories to (of course) several kinds of kale. As volunteer potatoes appear next year, I’ll dig them out and plant more greens in their place. When I do grow potatoes again, I’ll only use organically raised seed tubers from scab-resistant varieties such as Russets such as Norgold, Nooksack, Russet Burbank, and Targhee, which are less susceptible than smooth-skinned potatoes.
Scrubbed with a nail brush, the baby skin is revealed
Caring For New Potatoes
Meanwhile, we’ve been enjoying a succession of potato salads, since young potatoes are best used quickly. These youngster potatoes come in all sizes, some quite large, yet dug this early, their skins are still baby soft under that scabby coat. Unlike potatoes harvested at maturity, soaked and scrubbed baby potatoes should be used within a few days. Don’t refrigerate raw potatoes; cool temperatures convert raw potato starches to sugars, making them taste oddly sweet and altering their cooking properties. Store potatoes in a cool, dry place, always out of direct light, as light shock from bright indoor lights can cause them to develop the same green protective coloration as sunlight does in the garden. The green color is caused by chlorophyll but can also indicate the presence of glycoalkaloids such as solanine, a bitter flavor agent that is best removed by peeling.
Here are two summery potato salads that won accolades at a community dinner last night. Both are lighter and fresher tasting than the usual gloppy kinds and both taste best at room temperature (though any leftovers should be refrigerated). Both recipes are easily doubled for potlucks.
Potato & Sugar Pod Pea Salad
The last of the sugar pod peas meet the first of the potatoes in this light, fresh tasting salad that’s bright with lemon thyme and fennel greens. If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley (or use both if you’re a fan!).
Potato & Pea Pod Salad
4 cups potatoes cut in 1-inch pieces (more or less)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup rice or plum vinegar
2 cups sugar snap pea pods, cut in half-inch pieces
1 cup thinly sliced celery with green tops
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fennel foliage
1 teaspoon stemmed lemon thyme
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 cup stemmed cilantro or parsley
Cook potatoes in rapidly boiling water with 1/2 teaspoon salt until just fork tender (about 12-15 minutes). Meanwhile put 2 tablespoons vinegar into a serving bowl with pea pods, celery, onions, fennel, and thyme. Drain cooked potatoes immediately when done and put them into the serving bowl on top of the other ingredients. Sprinkle hot potatoes with oil, remaining vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and let stand for five minutes. Add cilantro and/or parsley and gently mix. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4-6. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.
Basil Dressing Light
This flavorful yet light dressing partners well with this ever-changing version of the usual potato salad; it’s ‘run through the garden’, rich with anything and everything that’s ripe and ready. Using some vegetables cooked and others raw makes for a pleasing variety of textures and flavors. If you have a stick blender, put the basil in a larger measuring cup, add the oil and blend for a few seconds, then use a small rubber spatula to get all the dressing on the salad.
Gardenly Potato Salad With Basil Dressing
4 cups potatoes cut in 1-inch pieces (more or less)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups chopped sweet peppers
1 cup thinly sliced celery with green tops
1 cup green beans, chopped in 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 cup lightly packed, stemmed basil, chopped
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1/8 teaspoon hot paprika
Cook potatoes in rapidly boiling water with 1/2 teaspoon salt until just fork tender (about 12-15 minutes). Meanwhile put 1 teaspoon oil into a skillet with onions and 1 cup of the peppers over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring now and then. Add celery and green beans, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover pan, reduce heat to medium low and cook until beans are barely tender (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, set aside. Drain cooked potatoes immediately when done and put them into a serving bowl. Sprinkle hot potatoes with vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and let stand for five minutes. Add cooked vegetables, remaining peppers, and cherry tomatoes and gently mix. With an immersion blender, blend basil, remaining oil, paprika, and a pinch of salt, drizzle over the salad and gently stir to coat. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4-6. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.