Mr Little's Yetholm Gypsy: purple spud

**Speed Gardener** · 20-08-2009, 06:47 AM

I looked at mini tubers last year but the price put me off a bit. Are the spuds full size or are they mini like the seed potatoes?

**Flummery** · 20-08-2009, 08:46 AM

My home grown from seed 'Amethyst' is a lovely deep purple colour - and not fluffy. I love it and I've saved tubers for next year. Hoping for some interesting potato salads next year!

**planesailing** · 20-08-2009, 09:34 AM

Originally posted by Two_Sheds View Post

I went to Suffolk Potato Day and lashed out 50p on a seed of this potato (not bought from T&M, the link is just to show you the variety)

Potato : Minituber : Mr Little's Yetholm Gypsy (Onions, Garlic and Potatoes)

Stuck it in a pot on the patio, along with my other blue potato (Skerry Blue)
watered it when I remembered (not often enough, truth be told).

Well, the Skerry Blues were rubbish, but I got a good lunch out of the Mr Little ... and what a fabulous colour they are! Really rich purple, better than the photo in the link.
The texture is a bit floury and dry for me (but OK baked), but I'm saving them to replant next year because they are so beautiful.

I had four of these last night for dinner!

The plant had been smothered by another potatoes plant, so they were really really tiny, but I had them boiled as we were having new potatoes.

They were very nice, but not as amazing as the Salad Blue's that I enjoyed a couple of weeks ago.

**Snadger** · 20-08-2009, 11:48 AM

Originally posted by Flummery View Post

My home grown from seed 'Amethyst' is a lovely deep purple colour - and not fluffy. I love it and I've saved tubers for next year. Hoping for some interesting potato salads next year!

Ooooooooohhhhh!!! Get her!

My Desiree from seed is still growing so I'll just have to wait a bit for my lickle Onslow spuds! (Private joke.....my next door neighbour called her dog Harvey and was always shouting HA-A-ARVEY!!!! I wanted to call ours Onslow, just so I could bellow O-O-ONSLOW back at her!)

**Flummery** · 20-08-2009, 02:17 PM

Originally posted by Snadger View Post

Ooooooooohhhhh!!! Get her!

My Desiree from seed is still growing so I'll just have to wait a bit for my lickle Onslow spuds! (Private joke.....my next door neighbour called her dog Harvey and was always shouting HA-A-ARVEY!!!! I wanted to call ours Onslow, just so I could bellow O-O-ONSLOW back at her!)

Ooooooooooohhhh!!!! Get him!

I'm dying to know what yours are like though.

**stooriefit** · 20-08-2009, 06:35 PM

Two Sheds

Mr Littles Yetholm Gypsy

I grew a whole row of these Tatties this year because they are floury and dry,the taste is exeptional.
The are the only tattie variety to show red white and purple on the skin, although mine were nearly all the purple you described. they have needless to say all been scoffed now but definately one for next year

**tattieman** · 20-08-2009, 07:13 PM

I have grown these potatoes this year. They are actually purple King Edward.
They are very large growing potatoes and mine were grown from mini tubers.

**Two_Sheds** · 21-08-2009, 03:07 PM

updated with a piccy

**Seahorse** · 21-08-2009, 04:34 PM

I grew MLYG last year and was impressed enough to do so again this year. Great taste and lovely appearence!

**realfood** · 21-08-2009, 07:12 PM

I have grown them for a few years as they are pretty and taste so good when they are microwaved.
That is very interesting, Tattieman, that you think that they are a purple sport of King Edward. I have not heard that theory before. I understood that Mr Little had spotted these potatoes at the edge of a field, somewhere in the borders and had collected them, probably for their novelty value.

**tattieman** · 21-08-2009, 07:23 PM

Mr Littles were DNA tested and were found to contain The King Edward Strain in it. It is a real novelty potato and the only one to to show 3 colours in the skin. I am hoping to bring it back as proper seed in the next few years rather than people having to fork out on minitubers all the time.

**Two_Sheds** · 22-08-2009, 06:45 AM

Originally posted by tattieman View Post

I am hoping to bring it back as proper seed in the next few years rather than people having to fork out on minitubers all the time.

I bought a seed potato for 50p at Suffolk Potato Day

**stooriefit** · 22-08-2009, 06:34 PM

The story I have about Yetholm Gypsy is that they were the tattie that the gypsy's grew.
Yetholm about 10 mls west of Kelso in the Borders was the Gypsy capital of the whole borders area including both sides of the border. Mr Little was a sheperd in the village,there are two villages actually Town Yetholm and Kirk Yetholm, who kept growing the variety after others moved on to other Tatties

**Flummery** · 23-08-2009, 11:24 AM

But another meaning of 'gypsy' is a stream that disappears in summer. A bit the way the potato foliage disappears when the haulms ripen?

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Mr Little's Yetholm Gypsy: purple spud

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