middle- Susan Marie shows a variety of sizes in her bucket
bottom- V has her mojo on! Ollie, Herb and Karl
We each took a row or two and worked from the bottom of the field to the top. Mike retrieved our potatoes as we dug them, and busied himself running back and forth to a scale so we could have an accurate account of this year's harvest. We think everyone got about the same volume of potatoes as they did last year, but this is the first year we are keeping detailed records. Last year there were more SPUDS members and the Seglindes were much bigger because they received additional fertilizer (the Yukons we planted last year didn't produce well at all, we couldn't get any White Rose this year although we had been happy with them in 2009, hence our decision to simply stick with Seglindes which had produced really well for us. We had been advised not to plant red or blue potatoes to reduce the chance of increasing scab in the field)
Photos: top- Kevin works his guitar muscles digging, and Mike lugs buckets of spuds to the scale
bottom- Mike is in his element weighing the harvest and divying up the piles
Some of our Seglindes this year are slightly pitted, and some plants had very few potatoes at all. But we expected a lower yield since we are still working on boosting nutrient levels in the depleted soil, water was insufficient ( even with four refills of the cistern) and as previously mentioned last year the spuds were boosted artificially with the addition of alfalfa meal and another additive (anyone remember if it was rock phosphate or something else?) This year we fed only the soil, and not the plants, in keeping with our Basis of Unity Statement adherence to organic principles that put the soil first.
So it was nice to be able to take home as many potatoes as we did ranging in size from very small...to perfect meal-sized specimens!
Photos: top- Sheila models a potato 'earring'... fundraiser idea?!
Middle- Vern shows off a nice plump spud
Below- another 'big' tater
In about two and a half hours, we had harvested 750 pounds which Mike seperated methodically into 15 piles. Family memberships netted 51 pounds each, and our two single memberships this year, 46 pounds a piece. This leaves us one pile to share between kind hearted folks that have helped us out this year!
Photos: Above- 2010 harvest crew minus Herb's son Ollie, filling in for Bob V, and Fireweed on camera.
Including Karl, Kevin, Mike Ron, Herb, Vern, Veronica, Sheila, Lyndsey, Susan Marie
Below- everybody but Ollie, and Lyndsey on camera
Active SPUDS memberships unable to participate in the 2010 harvest included Bob Vosburg (for whom Ollie attended), Ron and Max, Fox and Margaret, Charlie Johnston and Bill Engelson. Their share of our harvest was set aside for later delivery or pickup. Also missed were SPUDS 2010 Communications Committee members Rae and deNeen
Above: celebrating the harvest with FW's homemade chili (which turned into supper!) with cornbread on the side and our traditional chili salute!
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