Potatoes that don't get soft when cooked

PrettyPaisley · #1 09/03/14, 01:17 PM

I bought some Yukon Gold potatoes from a local co-op and other than being crazy small, they won't get soft when I cook them. I just wanted these potatoes so the whole "local" thing was secondary but I guess they are tiny because NC isn't the ideal place to grow monster Yukon Golds.

Anyhow-I've baked them and boiled them and they seem to stay hard. Or crunchy? I've even gone back and rebaked them in hopes of softening them a bit but they just dried out, shrunk and are still hard.

What gives? I have 100# of tiny, hard potatoes!

||Downhome|| · #2 09/03/14, 01:20 PM

save or sell them for seed...

PrettyPaisley · #3 09/03/14, 01:57 PM

Really? I wanted to can them. To eat .. like all cold winter long with lots of bacon and in soup. Or butter. They are my biggest weakness. Surely I can do something to soften them, right?

Of course if I planted 100# of Yukon Gold potatoes I'd never have to buy another one for the rest of my life!

||Downhome|| · #4 09/03/14, 02:01 PM

canning might do it? Or pressure cook them.
Baking though... counterintuitive me thinks.

suitcase_sally · #5 09/03/14, 02:01 PM

Maybe you got duped. Maybe they're rocks.

WildernesFamily · #6 09/03/14, 02:23 PM

They sound like what we call "glassy" potatoes. I don't know what the American term is for them... nor do I know why they get that way.

bryant · #7 09/03/14, 02:45 PM

Sounds like those potatoes are not "ripe" or they are seed potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes don't make good new potatoes, like red potatoes do. To salvage that 100 pounds you could pressure cook them then can them. or you could, as previously suggested, plant them in the spring. I've grown the Yukon gold variety and they are really better the bigger they are. I grow these in large "buckets" and use a mix of compost and straw to let them grow in, that way I just dump over the bucket and gather the taters with out having to dig or deal with cuts from digging.

PrettyPaisley · #8 09/03/14, 02:53 PM

I was wondering this. I'm pretty sure they were recently harvested. What should I do to ripen them ?

Trainwrek · #9 09/03/14, 03:17 PM

Boil them, they'll get soft. Poke holes with a fork and boil for half an hour. There is no difference between regular potatoes and 'seed' potatoes. They were probably harvested the day before you bought them, if you leave them on the counter for a few days they will cook more like what your used to.

geo in mi · #10 09/03/14, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

I was wondering this. I'm pretty sure they were recently harvested. What should I do to ripen them ?

There's your problem. To get "creamers" you have to harvest them when the whole plant and all the potatoes are very small, under two inches each. What you got were undeveloped potatoes from late in the season that aren't able to develop....they're culls. They have been separated out after the big Yukons were harvested. Take them back and get your money back. They just tried a shortcut--they didn't want to sacrifice the big ones in June.

geo

Yvonne's hubby · #11 09/03/14, 04:34 PM

Those are perfect potatoes!!! Great for making tater salad. I usually like to try to mix in a couple of "regular" taters with them but if you peel them, then dice them up in about 1/3 to 1/2 inch cubes, boil them till tender they still hold their shape without having mushy tater salad. Canning them will also leave you with an excellent, well done but firm tater.

soulsurvivor · #12 09/03/14, 05:05 PM

While I can't imagine doing a 100 # at least a mess of them could be grated to make fried hash browns or skillet fried potatoes.

PrettyPaisley · #13 09/03/14, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yvonne's hubby

Those are perfect potatoes!!! Great for making tater salad. I usually like to try to mix in a couple of "regular" taters with them but if you peel them, then dice them up in about 1/3 to 1/2 inch cubes, boil them till tender they still hold their shape without having mushy tater salad. Canning them will also leave you with an excellent, well done but firm tater.

Maybe I should do that. For potato salad I was taught to boil them with the skin on then peel it off while still warm. That's not working so well with these. And I diced them super small because my 4 year old was having a hard time chewing these potato rocks!

PrettyPaisley · #14 09/03/14, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geo in mi

There's your problem. To get "creamers" you have to harvest them when the whole plant and all the potatoes are very small, under two inches each. What you got were undeveloped potatoes from late in the season that aren't able to develop....they're culls. They have been separated out after the big Yukons were harvested. Take them back and get your money back. They just tried a shortcut--they didn't want to sacrifice the big ones in June.

geo

Very interesting. So for $1/lb I got culls. Local and organic but I've gotten much better organic from a different co-op that shipped them from who knows where. That really irks me ... it was my first potato order with them. And it will be my last.

geo in mi · #15 09/04/14, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

Very interesting. So for $1/lb I got culls. Local and organic but I've gotten much better organic from a different co-op that shipped them from who knows where. That really irks me ... it was my first potato order with them. And it will be my last.

Or they just didn't know the difference--unless you tell them?

geo

Gravytrain · #16 09/04/14, 06:31 AM

Maybe they were selling as seed potatoes?

Beautiful, big, new local potatoes here sell for $.20/lb...but we're are in potato growing territory here.

doozie · #17 09/04/14, 07:16 AM

Google hard potatoes, or potatoes won't cook...I had a bag a few years ago of another variety, whole bag was bad, hours in a crockpot and still hard. Tried the microwave, still nothing
No real explanation found other than possible cold weather, I think it stumps potato experts too. Can you return it?

PrettyPaisley · #18 09/04/14, 09:11 AM

Idk if I can return them but I can call and ask what's up. Maybe the co-op folks really don't know. It's a small operation but they also sell to Whole Foods and I KNOW they wouldn't take these taters !!!

I've bought organic Yukon golds for $1/lb for the past several years but this year I had this local option so I went with it.

Worst case I'll plant them. I do want to try to grow potatoes this year though I had planned on sweet potatoes. Guess I'll try both !

Yvonne's hubby · #19 09/04/14, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PrettyPaisley

Maybe I should do that. For potato salad I was taught to boil them with the skin on then peel it off while still warm. That's not working so well with these. And I diced them super small because my 4 year old was having a hard time chewing these potato rocks!

If you are using russets or other "regular" taters then peeling after boiling works pretty well. Yukons are not regular taters! I peel, dice and then boil them. The itty bitty ones I just wash well, dice and boil.

suitcase_sally · #20 09/04/14, 09:30 AM

$1/lb. for potatoes? I'M RICH!!!! I grow 300' of potatoes per year and give away most of them.