The Potatoes at
Sage Hen Farm

At Sage Hen Farm in Lodi, NY, we have planted many varieties of potatoes over the years, with the numbers and varieties changing each year, but these are varieties we have planted in recent years.

Please note: we sell potatoes locally only (Ithaca, Trumansburg, and Lodi, NY), and, as we are not certified, we do not sell seed potatoes.

Fingerling | Red & Rose | Blue/Purple | Yellow-fleshed | White-fleshed, including Russet

Potatoes by Season of Harvest
Harvest	Red & Rose	Blue	Yellow	White & Russet
Early (60-90 days)	Dark Red Norland Red Gold	Caribe	Anuschka	Early Ohio Algonquin
Mid (80-110 days)	Adirondack Red Amarosa Chieftain Desiree Kerr's Pink Rose Finn Strawberry Paw	Purple Majesty Purple Sun Purple Viking	Austrian Crescent Carola Pinto Vivaldi Yellow Finn	Caribou Russet Kennebec Gold Rush
Late (100-130 days)	Papa Cacho Romanz	Magic Molly	Bintje German Butterball	Elba Ozette
Fingerlings: Often harvested earlier than their actual season to produce small finger-sized potatoes.

Potatoes by Starch Content
Starch	Red & Rose	Blue	Yellow	White & Russet
Low (Waxy)	Adirondack Red Dark Red Norland French Strawberry Paw	Caribe Magic Molly Purple Sun	Austrian Crescent La Ratte Rose Finn	Algonquin
Medium (Moist)	Amarosa Chieftain Dark Red Norland Red Gold Romanz Rose Finn	Purple Majesty	Anuschka Bintje Vivaldi Yellow Finn	Ozette
Medium High (Smooth)	Desiree Papa Cacho	Purple Viking	Carola German Butterball Pinto	Early Ohio Kennebec
High (Floury, Dry)	Kerr's Pink			Caribou Elba Gold Rush
See note on Uses for description of starch content. Note: starchy or not, all potatoes are gluten-free.

Fingerling
Variety Origin	Color: Skin & Flesh Shape	Starch Harvest \| Yield	Disease Resistance	Images Special Notes
Amarosa (Ama Rosa) Oregon introduced 2010	deep red skin; pink flesh with red streaks long	low mid to late average	High resistance to late blight and scab.	Rich, creamy flavor. They retain their color even as they are baked or fried, so when sliced, they can look like a pepperoni.
Austrian Crescent (Kipfel) Austria/Germany before 1850	yellow tan skin; light yellow flesh crescent	low mid to late high	Low resistance to late blight and scab.	Noted for rich flavor. Grows quite close to the surface, so hill well to prevent greening in sunlight.
French (Roseval, Nosebag) France introduced 1950	dark rose-red skin; yellow flesh with red streaks rounder than other fingerlings	low mid to late average	Moderate resistance to scab.	Noted for rich flavor. According to an old story, French fingerlings were smuggled into North America in a horse's nosebag.
Ozette (Anna Cheeka's, Makah Ozette) Washington State introduced in 1987	yellow tan skin with speckles; creamy white flesh oblong to long	medium early to late low	High resistance to late blight.	Noted for earthy flavor. Discovered on the Olympic Peninsula. Speculation is that the first Ozettes were brought there by Spanish explorers from Peru before 1600.
La Ratte (Corne de Mouton, Ram's Horn, Princess La Ratte) France or Denmark before 1875	yellow tan skin; yellow flesh crescent	low mid to late high	Good resistance to scab.	Skin darkens from light yellow to a golden yellow in storage. Flavor has been called nutty, earthily sweet, buttery, and also likened to mushrooms.
Papa Cacho Peru introduced to North America in 1998	dark rose-red skin; white and pink flesh longer, curvier than other fingerlings	low late average	Good resistance to scab, high resistance to late blight foliage.	A locally grown variety in one part of Peru. Once discovered, it took many years before it could be exported out of the country..
Rose Finn (Rose Finn Apple, Pink Fir Apple, Rosa Tannenzapfen) Germany before 1850	light brown skin with pinkish mottling; yellow-gold flesh long, knobbly, with nodes	low mid to late average	High resistance to scab. Vwery low resistance to late blight foliage.	Noted for very rich flavor. "Finn Apple" appears to be a corrupted translation of fir-cone, which is somewhat resembles. It has a loyal following, despite or because of its knobbly shape.
See also Magic Molly in Blue/Purple. Did you know? The name "fingerling" was used because the size and shape of the potatoes resembled the small, young fish used by hatcheries for stocking ponds and streams, which in term were called fingerlings because of their resemblance to fingers. Because of fingerlings shape and size, they can be extra work in preparing, but their extra flavor and firm texture make them a first choice for roasting. They cook well when steamed or boiled, so they are also excellent for making potato salad.

Red & Rose
Variety Origin	Color: Skin & Flesh Shape	Starch Harvest \| Yield	Disease Resistance	Images Special Notes
Adirondack Red (was T17-2) New York introduced 2004	purplish red skin; pinkish red flesh oblong	low early to mid medium high	Moderate resistance to common scab and golden nemotode.	Developed at Cornell for its red flesh. Keeps color after cooking; turns pink when mashed.
Dark Red Norland Nebraska introduced 1967	dark red skin; white flesh round to oval	low early high	Moderate resistance to common scab and late blight.	Noted for rich flavor for an early potato. Good producer of medium to large tubers. Developed from the Norland for better color.
Desiree Netherlands introduced 1952	pink to reddish skin with dark spots; light yellow flesh oval to oblong	medium high mid high	Moderate resistance to late blight and common scab.	Noted for a special "gourmet" flavor. The most widely grown red potato in Europe.
Kerr's Pink Scotland introduced 1907	light brown skin, with pink highlights; creamy white flesh flat oval	high mid high	Low resistance to late blight. Good resistance to common scab.	Noted for very rich flavor. Grown widely throughout the British Isles; second most widely grown variety in Ireland.
Red Gold (Red River Gold) Ontario introduced 1987	pinkish red skin; yellow flesh round to oval	medium early high	Moderate resistance to common scab. Somewhat blight resistant.	Noted for rich flavor. Produces lots of small to medium tubers.
Red Maria (was NY 129) New York introduced 2011	bright, deep red skin; white flesh round	medium late high	High resistance to common scab and golden nemotode.	Developed at Cornell for blight resistance, high yield and uniformity of shape and size.
Romanz (Romanze) Germany introduced 1973	red skin; yellow flesh oval to long	medium late average	High resistance to late blight	Noted for rich flavor. Developed for its brillant red skin and brillant yellow flesh. The brillance, however, is variable. Our original supplier no longer sells this variety, so we've been trying to keep Romanze going on our own.
Strawberry Paw (was NY 136) New York introduced 2013	dark red skin; white flesh oval to long	medium late average	High resistance to late blight	Developed at Cornell for blight and scab resistance. Has an exceptionally dark red skin.
See also French in Fingerling Red-skinned potatoes in general are low starch varieties, so they are best when boiled, steamed, sauteed, and roasted. That makes them an excellent choice for soups and potato salads, and as scalloped potatoes

Blue/Purple
Variety Origin	Color: Skin & Flesh Shape	Starch Harvest \| Yield	Disease Resistance	Images Special Notes
Magic Molly Alaska introduced 2012	deep purple skin; deep purple flesh oblong	medium late low	Vigorous, but resistance to most diseases unknown.	Developed in Alaska in the race for the deepest blue flesh and for a purple potato that keeps its color when boiled. Tuber size varies. Considered a fingerling by some.
Purple Majesty Colorado introduced 2005	purple skin; purple flesh oblong	medium mid average	Good resistance to late blight; high resistance to common scab.	Developed in Colorado State in the race for the deepest blue flesh.
Purple Sun (Peter Wilcox, Blue Gold) Maryland introduced 2007	purple skin; yellow flesh round to oblong	medium mid low	Low resistance to late blight; good resistance to common scab.	Developed for its beautifully textured deep purple skin over golden flesh. It was originally named for a professor of religion at Loyola University in Baltimore.
Purple Viking North Dakota after 1963	splotchy purple over pink skin; white flesh round to oblong	medium high mid high	Low resistance to late blight; high resistance to common scab.	Sport of the Viking, a red skin potato, which was developed in 1963. Known for producing only an average size crop, but the tubers can be enormous.
See also Purple Peruvian in Fingerling Did you know? The purple/blue color comes from polyphenols, specifically the anthocyanins, the same flavonoid that gives blueberries their color and gives both the same powerful antioxidant property. As a group, blue potatoes fit right in the middle between moist and dry, which puts them square in middle of the all-purpose category. Their color and bolder earthy flavor, however, make for special challenges or an opportunities. Some folks think blue mashed potatoes are the coolest thing, but others might not find them appealing at all. They stand up well with foods with fuller flavor and extra seasoning. Many folks like to use them in combination with red and white potatoes, for a more colorful presentation.

Yellow-fleshed
Variety Origin	Color: Skin & Flesh Shape	Starch Harvest \| Yield	Disease Resistance	Images Special Notes
Anuschka Germany introduced 2004	smooth yellow tan skin; rich yellow flesh oval	medium to large early average	Good resistance to late blight and scab.	Developed for disease resistance, but has a rich flavor. Good in salads, but versatile enough for most other uses.
Bintje Netherlands introduced 1910, thought to have been introduced to the US by returning WWI soldiers	yellow tan skin; creamy yellow flesh oval	medium late average	Low resistance to late blight tubers and foliage. Low resistance to scab.	Noted for rich flavor, and became THE potato for French fries in Europe (where they are called pomme frites), but because of high moisture but low starch, very versatile.
Carola Germany introduced 1979	yellow tan skin; light yellow flesh oblong	medium mid higher than average	Moderate resistance to late blight tubers; low resistance to late blight foliage; high resistance to scab.	Noted for its buttery flavor. It was more widely popular commercially before the introduction of the Yukon Gold (which has a higher yield, not necessarily a better flavor or versatility). It is still popular in many parts of Europe, and it one of our favorites. Keeps well. We've eaten potatoes from previous year's crop after we've started to harvest a new crop. Grows quite close to the surface, so hill well to prevent greening.
German Butterball US mid 20th century	rough yellow tan skin; bright or dark yellow flesh oval to oblong (not round as the name might suggest)	medium high late high	Moderately good resistance to late blight. Good resistance to scab.	Gained attention after it won the title best flavored potato in a Rodale test taste in the 1980s. The use of the word "German" in the name may come from the fact that it was yellow fleshed, which was common for poatoes in Europe, but rare in North America. Its origin is hard to trace earlier than the 1980s. Tubers are variable in size, but mostly medium.
Yellow Finn Finland, via Washington State 1950s	yellowy skin, light to dark yellow flesh round to pear-shaped, occasionally flattened	medium mid average	Good resistance to scab.	Noted for rich flavor. Credit for the introduction of this variety is given to Carl Gustav Riipinen, a potato farmer from Washington State, who said he brought them from Finland in the 1950s. Only widely grown this century. Expect a high percentage of small tubers.
Note: Austrian Crescent and Rose Finn in Fingerling, and Desiree, Red Gold & Romanz in Red & Rose also have yellow flesh. Did you know? The yellow flesh color comes from beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, the same carotenoids that give egg yolks and corn their color and give them all the same powerful antioxidant property. Yellows are potatoes with various shades of yellow flesh, from almost creamy white to almost the color of an egg yolk. The extra color translates to being more nutritious and more flavorful than most white fleshed potatoes. Perhaps it is the power of suggestion, but "buttery" seems a common description for their taste. Carola and German Butterball have regularly won taste tests we have held in recent years.

White-fleshed, including Russet
Variety Origin	Color: Skin & Flesh Shape	Starch Harvest \| Yield	Disease Resistance	Images (or Links to Images) Special Notes
Algonquin New York introduced 2017	yellowy skin, creamy white flesh oval	low early to mid average	High resistance to scab.	Developed at Cornell as an early, highly productive, blemish-free potato of good size. It has good flavor, too. Doesn't fall apart when boiled.
Caribou Russet Maine introduced 2015	light russet skin; very white flesh long oblong	hgh late excellent	High resistance to hollow heart, rot, and scab.	Developed in Maine to compete in russet potato market. Is high-yielding with great flavor and disease resistance.
Gold Rush (Goldrush) North Dakota introduced 1992	light russet skin; very white flesh oblong	hgh mid excellent	Low resistance to early and late blight, and rot. High resistance to hollow heart and scab.	Developed to improve on the Russet Burbank, especially in higher yield and better resistance to hollow heart .
Early Ohio Vermont introduced 1871	light tan, with occasional pink patches; white flesh round	medium high early average	Moderately resistance to late blight, common scab	Not from Ohio. It has been credited with being the first potato grown specifically for baking, but it is not an especially starchy potato. We think it the most flavorful of white-fleshed potatoes.
Kennebec Maine introduced 1948	light tan; white flesh oblong	medium high mid high	Moderately resistance to late blight. Low resistance to common scab.	Known for its papery skin. Spuds can grow very large. Once the most used potato for potato chips, but replaced by better storing potatoes with more uniform size.
See also Ozette in Fingerling Did you know? White-fleshed potatoes are lower in sugar content than most other potatoes. This as much as the high starch content is what makes them excellent for frying, since higher levels of sugars can darken or even blacken pototoes. ue to their high starch content, are the first choice for baked potatoes.

Notes
Uses: Low starch (waxy) stay firm and hold their shape well after cooking. Studies have shown that by content they are 13-15% starch. They are excellent boiled or roasted and the best potatoes to use for potato salad. Waxy potatoes can become too gluey for mashing and won't be fluffy when baked. Medium starch (moist) potatoes are versatile, all purpose potatoes (15-17% starch). Their moist, smooth texture make them great when cooked many different ways: boiled, steamed, mashed, roasted, and fried, and can also be used in potato salad or baked. Medium high starch (smooth) potatoes are also versatile, all purpose potatoes (17-20% starch). Their smooth texture make them great when cooked many different ways, but their texture makes them just right for potato chips and fries. Better than medium starch potatoes for baking and mashing. High starch (dry) potatoes have a light, mealy, fluffy, or floury texture when cooked, but do not hold their shape well (20-22% starch). Also called mealy or starchy. They are best for baking, mashing, and as fries. Flavor: Potatoes from your garden or local farmers market will be more flavorful than the potatoes that you find in the super market. This is due in part to the varieties available, but also to how they are grown, and, in season, their freshness. Descriptions used to describe the tastes of different potato varieties are pretty limited, but within the range of "potatoey" are earthy, buttery, nutty, smooth, creamy, and sweet or almost sweet. In terms of amount of flavor, the potatoes above also range from mild (aka bland) to rich. How a potato is cooked and how it is served, however, will make a tremendous difference in how it tastes. Mashed potatoes loaded on with gravy won't allow much of the potato flavor to come through. Roasted or baked potatoes with little more than salt and pepper and butter will permit some varieties of potatoes to excel. Harvest: Potato varieties have been assigned a category of early, mid, and late. Depending on where you live and what a particular season's growing conditions have been, the number of days will widely vary. Early varieties may be harvested between 55 and 80 days. Mid-season varieties can be harvested in between 70 days to 110 days. Late potatoes mature in a range from 100 days to 130 days or longer. Don't harvest by the calendar alone. With early potatoes, you can start pretty much as soon as they look large enough to eat. You will have to decide on the trade-off between the pleasure of new potatoes sooner and larger potatoes later. The plants themselves will be a good guide for the best time to harvest. Watch for the vines to die back, and then give them another week to so to start reaping the bounty. Especially for late varieties, you should wait as long as you can to allow the starch to be fully formed, both for flavor and better storage. So as long as the plant is alive and there is no frost warnings, let them grow. Yield: The potential to produce tubers ranked low, average, and high. There are too many variables for me to assign pounds and kilograms per plant. Some years, our high yielding potatoes have barely exceeded 4 lbs. (2 kg) per plant and other years have easily exceeded 10 lbs. (4.5 kg). Storage: Some sources list the storage qualities of the different potato varieties, but in general, early varieties do not store as well as late varieties. A related factor is dormancy, meaning how likely the spuds are likely to sprout during storage. Only varieties with exceptional poor dormancy (most likely to sprout) are noted above. Disease resistance levels: The range is very low, low, moderate, good, and high. I am uncertain how well most varieties have been tested, and for some varieties very different resistamce levels have been reported. Links: The following site have been useful in compiling the information about potato varieties. Most have photographs of the various varieties, as well. British Potato Variety Database, part of the European Cultivated Potato Database Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Canadian Potato Varieties Colorado Certified Potato Growers Association Potato Varieties Cornell University. Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners: Potatoes Dave's Garden: PlantFiles Cultivar Finder: Potatoes Fedco's Moose Tubers Potato Variety Chart Kenosha Potato Collection Catalog, by Curzio Caravati Love Potatoes, from the Potato Council of Great Britain OGRIN (Organic Growers Research and Information-Sharing Network Oregon State Potato Variety Identification Table Potato Association of America Variety Images and Descriptions Potato Garden's list of Seed Potatoes Seasonal Ontario Food: Potatoes -- a blog with many recipes and occasional reviews of potato varieties Washington State University Potato Varieties: A Comprehensive List This page written and maintained by John R. Henderson (jhenderson @ icyousee.org). Last modified: January 26, 20244 Photo of the giant potato by Paul Ievins. URL: http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/potato.html

Notes

Uses:

Low starch (waxy) stay firm and hold their shape well after cooking. Studies have shown that by content they are 13-15% starch. They are excellent boiled or roasted and the best potatoes to use for potato salad. Waxy potatoes can become too gluey for mashing and won't be fluffy when baked.
Medium starch (moist) potatoes are versatile, all purpose potatoes (15-17% starch). Their moist, smooth texture make them great when cooked many different ways: boiled, steamed, mashed, roasted, and fried, and can also be used in potato salad or baked.
Medium high starch (smooth) potatoes are also versatile, all purpose potatoes (17-20% starch). Their smooth texture make them great when cooked many different ways, but their texture makes them just right for potato chips and fries. Better than medium starch potatoes for baking and mashing.
High starch (dry) potatoes have a light, mealy, fluffy, or floury texture when cooked, but do not hold their shape well (20-22% starch). Also called mealy or starchy. They are best for baking, mashing, and as fries.

Flavor:

Potatoes from your garden or local farmers market will be more flavorful than the potatoes that you find in the super market. This is due in part to the varieties available, but also to how they are grown, and, in season, their freshness. Descriptions used to describe the tastes of different potato varieties are pretty limited, but within the range of "potatoey" are earthy, buttery, nutty, smooth, creamy, and sweet or almost sweet. In terms of amount of flavor, the potatoes above also range from mild (aka bland) to rich. How a potato is cooked and how it is served, however, will make a tremendous difference in how it tastes. Mashed potatoes loaded on with gravy won't allow much of the potato flavor to come through. Roasted or baked potatoes with little more than salt and pepper and butter will permit some varieties of potatoes to excel.

Harvest:

Potato varieties have been assigned a category of early, mid, and late. Depending on where you live and what a particular season's growing conditions have been, the number of days will widely vary. Early varieties may be harvested between 55 and 80 days. Mid-season varieties can be harvested in between 70 days to 110 days. Late potatoes mature in a range from 100 days to 130 days or longer.

Don't harvest by the calendar alone. With early potatoes, you can start pretty much as soon as they look large enough to eat. You will have to decide on the trade-off between the pleasure of new potatoes sooner and larger potatoes later. The plants themselves will be a good guide for the best time to harvest. Watch for the vines to die back, and then give them another week to so to start reaping the bounty. Especially for late varieties, you should wait as long as you can to allow the starch to be fully formed, both for flavor and better storage. So as long as the plant is alive and there is no frost warnings, let them grow.

Yield:

The potential to produce tubers ranked low, average, and high. There are too many variables for me to assign pounds and kilograms per plant. Some years, our high yielding potatoes have barely exceeded 4 lbs. (2 kg) per plant and other years have easily exceeded 10 lbs. (4.5 kg).

Storage:

Some sources list the storage qualities of the different potato varieties, but in general, early varieties do not store as well as late varieties. A related factor is dormancy, meaning how likely the spuds are likely to sprout during storage. Only varieties with exceptional poor dormancy (most likely to sprout) are noted above.

Disease resistance levels:

The range is very low, low, moderate, good, and high. I am uncertain how well most varieties have been tested, and for some varieties very different resistamce levels have been reported.

Links:

The following site have been useful in compiling the information about potato varieties. Most have photographs of the various varieties, as well.

British Potato Variety Database, part of the European Cultivated Potato Database
Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Canadian Potato Varieties
Colorado Certified Potato Growers Association Potato Varieties
Cornell University. Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners: Potatoes
Dave's Garden: PlantFiles Cultivar Finder: Potatoes
Fedco's Moose Tubers Potato Variety Chart
Kenosha Potato Collection Catalog, by Curzio Caravati
Love Potatoes, from the Potato Council of Great Britain
OGRIN (Organic Growers Research and Information-Sharing Network
Oregon State Potato Variety Identification Table
Potato Association of America Variety Images and Descriptions
Potato Garden's list of Seed Potatoes
Seasonal Ontario Food: Potatoes -- a blog with many recipes and occasional reviews of potato varieties
Washington State University Potato Varieties: A Comprehensive List

This page written and maintained by John R. Henderson (jhenderson @ icyousee.org). Last modified: January 26, 20244
Photo of the giant potato by Paul Ievins.
URL: http://www.sagehenfarmlodi.com/potato.html

The Potatoes at Sage Hen Farm

The Potatoes at
Sage Hen Farm