Spuds for 2010

About the only thing I can be sure of in 2010 is that I will still be eating more potatoes than usual. If nothing else they are easy to maintain if I can't do the usual intensive daily horticultural routine.

This year's spuds are already beginning to sprout (Nicola is the worst), despite the recent cold weather so good winter dormancy is something I'll be looking for in addition to blight resistance. Lady Balfour has exceptional dormancy, in addition to overall suberb disease resistance, so I'll give this a go (helped in my decision by T&M offering free postage even on heavy items over xmas)

I'd already decided on Setanta as a replacement for Rooster, and again it supposedly combines good storage qualities with greater disease resistance than it's parent, but retaining a similar dry, floury texture (I hope...)

I might try a row of Nadine just for exhibition purposes, also perhaps Romano and Picasso so that all categories are covered (with the cup in mind). I'll save my own seed of Nicola too.

Miserable Christmas

I haven't posted for a long time, as food and the growing of food has been far from my mind. I've been suffering from a severe bout of mucositis, the cause of which has been diagnosed as Sjogren's syndrome. The effect of this is that I can hardly eat anything at all, as my tongue, gums and throat are raw and permanently covered in ulcers. My teeth ache and are horribly sensitive. No treatment has been forthcoming, or effective so far.

Never have I been so grateful for spuds, as mashed potato has been virtually all I can eat. I have been more or less bed-ridden from the fibromyalgia caused by the condition, and I'm not optimistic about if I'll be able to carry on doing heavy horticultural work.