Blue potatoes beneficial properties. Purple potatoes: description and cooking tips

Potatoes are rightfully one of the most versatile vegetables in the world. Hundreds of its varieties are known and cultivated, nevertheless this vegetable continues to amaze gardeners. Purple potatoes, or blue French truffle potatoes to use their full name, are considered a delicacy and also have many health benefits.

Origin and description of culture

There is no exact information about the origin of this species. Presumably, this is one of the varieties of potatoes that has long been common in South America. The result of long-term breeding work and careful selection was the development of new fixed hybrids with the color of the tuber pulp from lilac to dark purple.

The purple color of potatoes is influenced by the percentage of anthocyanins - colored plant glycosides - in it. The oblong-shaped tubers are small in size and weight - no more than 10 cm and 70 g, respectively. Most varieties are late ripening, but there are also mid- and super-early ones. The higher this indicator, the denser the tuber skin and the better the keeping quality.

Culinary processing does not change the color of dishes of the main number of varieties, but some may lose their brightness and purity of color after thermal exposure.

The following descriptions and characteristics of the most famous and tested varieties that are popular all over the world will help gardeners who want to grow such a “blue miracle” on their plots to decide and make a choice:

• Vitelotte (also called Negro and French truffle) is a late variety with a dark purple skin. The ripening period is up to 110 days, it is stored for a long time without loss. It has a characteristic rich nutty taste and does not change color when cooked. Tuber weight – 70-100 g;
• All Blue (an exact translation of the original name All Blue) is medium early, has large tubers - up to 200 g in weight. A characteristic feature of the variety is a light stripe between the pulp and the skin. Thanks to its excellent taste and dietary properties, it is quickly gaining popularity in our country;
• Explosion - got its name due to its super-early fruiting (up to 65 days). The pulp and peel are an even dark purple color. A distinctive characteristic is high resistance to diseases. Does not store well, but is good for quick consumption in any dish, including raw in salads;
• Lilac is a mid-season variety of Russian selection. Despite the small weight of the fruit (up to 80 g) and average yield, it has good shelf life and resistance to diseases (cancer and scab). Having the taste of almonds, it is considered a valuable dietary product;
• Peruvian purple (Purple Peruvian) - bred in Peru. A variety of late ripening and medium yield. As you can see in the picture, Peruvian potatoes are small in size, but their amazing taste - walnut and hazelnut at the same time - arouses the constant interest of consumers.

Useful properties and applications

Despite the same name, the purple “brother” of white potatoes has incomparably fewer harmful qualities and possesses many unique substances that are beneficial to health.

You cannot gain weight from this product unless you eat it along with fatty and flour additives. The beneficial properties of purple potatoes are the basis for the fact that in many countries they are considered a particularly valuable and dietary product.

Nevertheless, excessive passion for blue varieties can in some cases bring not only benefits, but also harm.

Benefits and contraindications

Colored varieties contain much more micro- and macroelements than ordinary ones, which do not decrease even after prolonged heat treatment. This is precisely the reason for the benefits of purple potatoes. In frozen and canned (pickled, salted) form, the vegetable retains its beneficial qualities. It is recommended in many children's diets.

Main medicinal properties of the product:

• lowers blood pressure, so much so that it is not recommended for chronic use by hypotensive patients;
• Anthocyanins, which give the crop its recognizable color, are also powerful antioxidants. They stimulate metabolic processes at the cellular level, strengthen the immune system, neutralize the harmful effects of carcinogenic substances and radio radiation on the human body, help it suppress cancer tumors, improve vision and slow down the aging process;
• contains a large amount of vitamins, especially important for the human body C and E, as well as carotenoids that affect the synthesis of vitamin A and regulate the functioning of the endocrine system;
• beneficial substances contained in blue varieties make the walls of blood vessels more elastic, which reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis.

Practice shows that eating purple species can be harmful to hypotensive people and people with individual intolerance to the components of the product.

Use in cooking

Purple potato varieties are suitable for any type of consumption: they are boiled, stewed, fried, used in preparations with marinades, and some are eaten raw in salads.

This type of culture is starchy, and therefore, due to its strong boiling, it is better suited for making purees. Naturally, it turns out to be a rich lilac or purple hue. The original, sweetish nutty taste makes the dishes delicious.

Some varieties lose color intensity when cooked, acquiring shades from lilac to blue instead of purple.

Features of cultivation

Planting purple potatoes is possible with tubers and seeds:

• with the traditional option (tubers), the sowing time is the same as for conventional species;
• in the second case, seedlings are grown from purple potato seeds, which are planted in open ground after 1-1.5 months.

The soil is chosen to be light, and the area to be light and sunny: purple potatoes need constant access to air and light. With timely traditional processing methods, it will reward you with a high and valuable harvest.

Not long ago, an exotic vegetable appeared on store shelves - purple potatoes. At first, consumers were wary of it, but when the beneficial properties became known, the situation immediately changed. In addition, the exotic color of the pulp allows chefs to create culinary masterpieces that have an original appearance. True, this type of potato is not yet grown on an industrial scale in our country, but for your own summer cottage you can easily order seed from an online store.

A characteristic feature of this potato is not only the exotic color of the skin, but also the pulp. The shades range from soft pink to dark purple. This unusual plant was obtained without the use of genetic modification methods: specialists used exclusively classical selection methods. They crossed the familiar potato with its wild relative from South America.

Purple potato varieties include those that have an intense color not only of the peel, but also of the pulp.

General differences between purple-fleshed varieties include the following:

• the tubers have an oblong shape;
• the pulp does not lose its color even after heat treatment;
• there are a large number of useful microelements that help improve immunity;
• Keeps very well due to the thick skin.

After cooking, the pulp has a characteristic nutty flavor, which also makes these varieties stand out and expands the possibilities of use in cooking.

Breeders have become seriously interested in breeding varieties with purple flesh, so now there are quite a lot of them. But domestic gardeners very often call this variety much simpler: blue potatoes. However, this does not change the essence.

Potatoes with purple flesh are still at the stage of breeding development, but now you can purchase some varieties with different color intensities for your summer cottage. The most popular include:

• French purple truffle;
• Black woman;
• Chinese truffle;
• Witelotte;
• Gourmet;
• Russian black.

Black woman Chinese truffle Potatoes French purple truffle Vitelotte Russian black Gourmet

There is no talk yet about volumes sufficient for industrial cultivation, but stores are happy to present to the attention of their customers the indicated varieties for growing in garden beds.

Purple potatoes deserve attention not only due to their unusual appearance and bright color. It has a lot of useful and healing properties. For example, if you prepare a dish from it in any way, you can easily reduce blood pressure in the human body. At the same time, this potato can be harmful to people suffering from low blood pressure and should be avoided in the menu of colored potato dishes.

In addition to antioxidants, the unusually colored purple tubers contain large amounts of vitamin C.

Thanks to the presence of antioxidants, purple potatoes can slow down the aging process. It contains a large amount of vitamins C, E and carotenoids. The product is not genetically modified, and its unusual color is the result of crossing with wild African and equatorial varieties.

Regular consumption of colored potatoes improves vision and strengthens the walls of blood vessels. This reduces the risk of atherosclerosis. It also reduces the risk of developing certain types of cancer.

In practice, the same dishes are prepared from purple potatoes as from white or cream ones. At the same time, they differ in their original appearance.

Fried purple potatoes

Tasters note that they have a characteristic nutty flavor, but this does not spoil the impression of the dish.

Colored potatoes are used in dietary nutrition because they not only contain a huge amount of vitamins and microelements, but also, with a high level of starch content, do not lead to obesity. This is achieved through the metabolic activity of other substances.

Planting is carried out in two ways: traditional (tubers) and seeds. For the second option, you first need to germinate the seeds, then grow seedlings at home, and then transplant them into open ground. Seeds are planted in April, and seedlings are transplanted into open ground no earlier than in mid-May.

Properly germinated planting material of purple potatoes will ensure fast, uniform germination and early setting of tubers

When planting tubers, the planting period is the same as for regular potatoes.

When choosing planting dates, the climatic and weather characteristics of the region are taken into account. You should definitely wait until the threat of night frosts has passed.

They try to choose light soil for planting purple potatoes. Oxygen should easily penetrate into it and excess moisture should not stagnate. An excellent option would be neutral sandy loam, as well as floodplain and soddy-podzolic soils. Before the onset of the first frost, a rough initial digging of the selected area is carried out. During frosts, the pest larvae that were in the turned-out soil will die.

The area for colored potatoes should be dug up in the fall with the addition of potassium fertilizers and superphosphate

With the onset of warmth, when the minimum soil temperature reaches 5°C, planting begins. First, the soil is dug up again and holes are prepared with the addition of wood ash. The distance between rows should be at least half a meter, and between holes it should be maintained at 30 centimeters. The planting depth reaches 10 centimeters.

Planting and care

If the soil in the selected area is dry, then watering should be carried out at least three times: immediately after emergence, during flowering and immediately after it. In conditions where there is no rain, plants need to be irrigated at least once a week. If there is a lot of moisture, fungal diseases will develop, and if there is not enough moisture, the plantings may dry out.

During planting, care should be taken to ensure that the plants have good access to air and light. To do this, you should not save space and plant bushes very close to each other, but maintain the recommended distances.

After purple potatoes sprout, they need to be regularly weeded and weeds removed. When a crust appears on the soil, you should loosen it. The beds are regularly treated with preparations against the Colorado potato beetle, late blight and other common pests and diseases.

Loosening the soil and hilling potato beds

For now, purple potatoes are classified as delicacies. But thanks to the hard work of domestic breeders, it is quite possible that it will soon become available to any category of the population, as it brings benefits to the human body. This would be wonderful, since the beneficial properties of this product make us seriously think about the industrial scale of growing colored potatoes in our country.

profermu.com

Purple potatoes - characteristics of this unusual variety of root vegetables with photos

Purple potatoes are a plant of the Convolvulaceae family. This vegetable is also called “negress”, “Chinese truffle” or “blue French truffle potato”. The tubers of this potato are covered with a dark purple skin, which sometimes reaches almost black color. Beneath it there is pulp of almost the same color (see photo). The oblong tubers reach an average length of about 10 cm, with a weight of about 70 g. The tubers retain their color even after heat treatment.

It is still unknown how exactly this variety appeared. Many believe that its homeland is South America, where it is still grown in large quantities. Purple potatoes, due to their thicker skin, can be stored for quite a long time. These root vegetables have a light nutty flavor.

Beneficial features

The medicinal and beneficial properties of purple potatoes are due to the presence of minerals, vitamins, as well as anthocyanins, carotenoids and phenolic acids. Thanks to this, it reduces the risk of possible chronic inflammation, which is directly related to heart disease. Since root vegetables contain quite a lot of antioxidants, the rate of aging processes in the body decreases. The content of ascorbic acid allows you to strengthen your immune system with regular consumption of root vegetables. This is especially useful during the period of active action of viruses and infections.

Purple potatoes contain beneficial pigments, by the way, just like other vegetables of the same color. Thanks to them, the functioning of the cardiovascular system improves. Purple potatoes also contain polyphenols that have antioxidant activity. These substances increase the body's defense against free radicals, which have the ability to damage cells and increase the risk of heart and vascular diseases.

Purple potatoes contain dietary fiber, which improves the function of the digestive system and prevents constipation. Thanks to this, you can get rid of several kilograms, which is generally confirmed by many positive reviews.

Use in cooking

Purple potatoes can be eaten similarly to the more familiar version. Since this vegetable contains a large amount of starch, the tubers are ideal for making purees. In this case, the dish will turn out not only tasty, but also unusual. In addition, root vegetables are baked in the oven, boiled, fried, etc. Purple potatoes add flavor and garnish to a variety of salads. It also makes delicious stews, casseroles and first courses.

The benefits of purple potatoes determine its use in folk medicine. It is used as a remedy that helps reduce blood pressure and is an excellent prevention of strokes.

The possible treatment of certain diseases with purple potatoes has been proven through numerous clinical studies. Thus, it has been proven that daily consumption of purple tubers improves vision. In addition, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened. By consuming purple potatoes, you can significantly reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis. There is also a decrease in the level of formation of certain types of cancer.

Harm of purple potatoes and contraindications

Purple potatoes can be harmful to people who suffer from hypotension. People with individual intolerance to the product should avoid eating root vegetables. It is also worth controlling the amount of vegetables you eat so as not to cause serious problems.

xcook.info

Unusually healthy purple potatoes

Potatoes are a simple, everyday food for many people, and it’s hard to surprise them. The variety of varieties is great, but they differ from each other mainly in growth qualities and adaptability.

Variety of varieties

Conventionally, all potatoes can be divided according to the color of the peel or the color of the pulp. There are white, yellow, pink, red and lilac potatoes. Also, the eyes may differ in color from the peel and be pink or lilac. Potato flesh is usually yellow or white. But there is also a rather unusual variety of potato with purple flesh.

It is found only on the shelves of exotic stores, although in Europe it can also be found in markets. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver often uses this potato variety in his dishes. In England there is a real boom in the use of this amazing root vegetable.

Purple potatoes attract with their unusualness. What is its composition - like white or are there any special features? The answer is simple. The unusual color contains useful substances. The purple color of potatoes, blueberries, blackberries, dark grapes, eggplant, basil and many other plants is due to anthocyanins. It is not without reason that people have noticed their beneficial properties since ancient times. Everyone can eat purple potatoes. These substances have no contraindications.

An unusual vegetable can reduce blood pressure. At the same time, the purple variety of potatoes does not contribute to weight loss. A group of 18 volunteers with high blood pressure and overweight has already been studied. By eating 6-8 potatoes a day, the test subjects reduced their average blood pressure reading by about 4%.

Potatoes with purple flesh were selectively bred. Scientists from the University of Colorado set out to achieve this goal while trying to zone and domesticate wild potatoes from the Andean highlands. Other names were previously known: “negress”, “vitalot”, “Chinese truffle” and “truffle potato”. The “purple French truffle potato” variety has long been prepared in the best restaurants in Paris. This speaks, first of all, about the good taste of potatoes with bluish flesh. So the origin of the miracle potato is absolutely legal, and it does not contain any foreign genes. Indian tribes in the Chilean Andes are distinguished by their extraordinary health and longevity. From this we can conclude about the beneficial properties of such an unusual plant.

Potatoes are purple. Description of the variety

The purple potatoes themselves are not large. It is the size of a small goose egg and weighs about 70 grams. The color of the pulp is due to the large amount of anthocyanins - substances that block free radicals. The properties of these unusual substances, contained in many purple vegetables and fruits, have long been confirmed by science.

Anthocyanins help slow down the aging of the body, they fight a wide variety of diseases and help prevent cancer. Both the pulp and the peel have great benefits, so purple potatoes are cooked in the oven without peeling. After heat treatment, the pulp retains its color, and therefore all its benefits. The calorie content of such potatoes is only 110 kcal per hundred grams of product. The product is quite crumbly.

Distribution in Russia

Purple potatoes quickly conquered Scotland and adapted perfectly to its soils. Soon it will appear here in Russia too. In Tomsk, scientific developments are already underway to adapt the variety to Siberian soil. There are already first successes.

By consuming such potatoes daily instead of regular ones, you will be able to improve your well-being and do without many medications and cosmetic procedures. Besides, it is very tasty. For now, you can safely order purple potato seeds. Just keep in mind that tubers will appear only in the second year. At first you will only get a handful of seed potatoes. It is extremely important to take care of the preparation of planting material, to prevent it from becoming infected with diseases, and to protect it from pests.

Eating

Jamie Oliver advises preparing cold salads and snacks from unusual potatoes. Radishes, herbs, tomatoes and peppers, and asparagus go well with this miracle vegetable. The experimental cook even adds peeled grapefruit to his potato dishes. It is best to season this unusual salad with olive oil. This will not affect your figure in any way.

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Potatoes purple

Purple potatoes are one of the potato varieties. It has long been known also under the names “vitalot”, “negress”, “Chinese truffle”, “blue French truffle potato”. It is believed that the birthplace of purple potatoes is South America.

Purple potato tubers have an oblong shape, a dark purple peel, and a purple flesh (calorizer). The unusual color of the vegetable is preserved even during heat treatment.

Compared to some varieties of regular potatoes, purple potatoes have a longer shelf life due to their thick skin.

Calorie content of purple potatoes

The calorie content of purple potatoes is 72 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Composition of purple potatoes

The composition of purple potatoes is rich in anthocyanins, carotenoids and phenolic acids. It contains a lot of calcium, potassium, starch, as well as vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, C, E and K.

The benefits and harms of purple potatoes

The beneficial and medicinal properties of purple potatoes are due to their rich vitamin and mineral composition. Thanks to the substances included in the product, the risk of possible chronic inflammation, which is directly related to heart disease, is reduced. Due to the high content of antioxidants, the rate of aging processes in the human body decreases. The content of ascorbic acid allows you to strengthen your immune system with regular consumption of root vegetables. This is especially useful during the period of active action of viruses and infections.

Purple potatoes contain beneficial pigments, which improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system.

The product contains dietary fiber, which improves the function of the digestive system and prevents constipation. Thanks to this, you can get rid of several kilograms, which is generally confirmed by many positive reviews.

Purple potatoes are used as a remedy that helps reduce blood pressure and is an excellent prevention of strokes.

With daily use of the product, vision improves, the walls of blood vessels are strengthened, the risk of developing atherosclerosis is significantly reduced, and the level of formation of certain types of cancer also decreases.

People with individual intolerance to the product, as well as those suffering from hypotension (calorizator), should avoid eating purple potatoes. It is also worth controlling the amount of vegetables you eat to avoid serious problems.

Purple potatoes in cooking

Purple potatoes are widely used in cooking: they are baked in the oven, boiled, fried, added to salads, first courses, casseroles and stews.

Purple potato tubers are ideal for making mashed potatoes. In this case, the dish will turn out not only tasty, but also unusual.

www.calorizator.ru

Summer residents have long been accustomed to potato fruits with purple and pink skins, and successfully grow them on their plots. What about the tubers, which are intensely purple, not only on the outside, but also on the inside? Lilac mashed potatoes, purple chips, bluish-black fries... Unusual and interesting. Is it worth growing purple potatoes? How, besides coloring, does it differ from the usual one? What are the pros and cons of this extraordinary vegetable. List of the best varieties and their characteristics.

Yes, potato varieties that are distinguished by the intense purple color of their flesh are considered delicacy. Not only because of their non-standard appearance, but also because of their unusual taste.

It has a pronounced nutty flavor, which, according to fans of gardening experiments, does not spoil this root vegetable at all, on the contrary, it gives it a piquancy.

The unusual coloring of the flesh is not the result of the work of genetic engineers, as one might easily think. It is of natural origin. The pigment was obtained from vegetables growing on the equator and in Africa, and as a result of numerous crossings, it acquired the degree of a species characteristic.

Where did he come from?

It all started with the work of breeders to develop new diet varieties of this root vegetable. Interspecific hybrids were used in the formation of new varieties. The initial material was taken from the maternal forms of cultivated species growing in South America. The basis was the varieties bred by Ukrainian breeders.

The use of the classical method of sexual hybridization resulted in varieties whose flesh has varying degrees of color - from pale lilac to dark purple.

Today, about 120 intermediate samples are involved in the selection process, which is an excellent result and guarantees in the future the production of new fixed hybrids with purple flesh.

It is no secret that potatoes with a standard color of flesh can be classified as a dietary product with a big stretch, since they contain a large number of calories. But the colored one is not so dangerous in this regard; moreover, it has a lot of useful properties that are inherent in the standard white-yellow varieties to a lesser extent.

Color means health. Benefit!

According to research by nutritionists, colored foods have different effects on the human body. Of course, they could not ignore such a phenomenon as completely purple potato tubers, and, after carefully studying it, they came to the following conclusions.

This vegetable contains a lot of anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants. It turns out that by eating purple potatoes, we increase immunity, fight colds, lower blood sugar and lose weight, because they contain less starch than yellow or white ones.

A purple potato tuber absorbs three times less nitrates from the soil, and there is as much vitamin C in two such potatoes as in one lemon.

Features of cultivation

While some advantages can be noted in the properties, the same cannot be said about agricultural technology, since purple potatoes are much more demanding than their colorless “brother” and require special care.

1. Firstly, it is more susceptible to scab and has a low degree of resistance to late blight.
2. Secondly, the Colorado potato beetle - the scourge of all potato growers - primarily attacks plantings with purple-fleshed tubers ( In details: )
3. Thirdly, if you propagate purple varieties with “eyes”, the tubers will inevitably and catastrophically become smaller, turning into a wild-growing form.

Work continues. Today, 30% of all existing varieties are already involved in the selection process. This will make it possible to soon develop a purple root crop that is not only resistant to pests, but also immune to diseases of the family.

Otherwise, the agricultural technology of colored potatoes does not differ from that generally accepted when growing this vegetable. It does not require special conditions.

• Weeding and hilling.
• Regular watering throughout the growing season.
• Disease and pest control.
• Productivity depends on the care and composition of the soil. The most unsuitable soil for purple potatoes is loam. And the best ones are fertile and breathable, with a light structure.

How to cook?

Cooking unusually colored potatoes is no different from regular ones.

Heat treatment, and all the beneficial properties remain in the vegetable, even if you boil it in salt water. Purple puree or chips look original. French fries, pancakes, stuffing, salad. The taste differs from the traditional one for the better. The nutty flavor is noticeable more or less in different varieties, but it is present.

Fried cauliflower potatoes

Variety "Vitelot"

In the original – Vitelotte – one of the most popular varieties with blue-violet pulp. It is also called “Negress”, “French truffle”. The tubers have an elongated shape. The core is intensely colored. The peel is dark. The mass of tubers is small - on average from 70 to 100 g. Late variety - ripening period up to 110 days. Potatoes store well and for a long time, retain their color under any heat treatment, and have a rich taste.

Variety "All Blue"

This is the direct name, translated from English All Blue, from which it immediately becomes clear what color the flesh of this vegetable is. Although, it is more blue-violet than blue, and the peel is dark purple. There is a light ring between the skin and the pulp.

The variety is mid-early, ripens in 80 days. The tubers are rather large - up to 200 g, but they are not stored for very long. This variety is widespread throughout Europe, it is just beginning to approach us, but it is quickly gaining popularity because it has an excellent taste. It is considered dietary in properties. It contains a lot of antioxidants. The interesting color is completely preserved during frying and baking and fades a little when boiled.

Variety "Explosion"

This variety is Explosion, so named for its early and rapid fruiting. Early ripening, which will delight you with a harvest within 65 days after planting, has pure purple pulp and the same peel.

The weight of the fruits varies - from 100 to 150 g. The shape is elongated. The difference between this variety and other purple varieties is its increased resistance to disease. It is also characterized by high productivity. You won’t be able to store the fruits for a long time, but you can cook anything from them. You can even eat the vegetable raw, for dietary salads.

Variety "Lilac"

This variety was bred in Russia by domestic breeders. Mid-season, ripens in 95 days. The fruit has purple flesh and skin. The shape is oval-round. Weight - up to 80 g. It has an average yield, good shelf life and resistance to scab and cancer. The taste is excellent, with a hint of almond. It is considered a valuable dietary product.

Variety "Peruvian purple"

Purple Peruvian is the original name of this variety, which arose as a result of two centuries of selection by potato growers living in the highlands of the Andes. Just think, for two hundred years people have been trying to develop these elongated eyes covered with many eyes for humanity. For what? So that people can enjoy a healthy and dietary product by replacing regular potatoes, which are called “second bread” in many CIS countries. Late variety. Ripens in 100-110 days. And it is no different in size - the average weight of a root crop is 80 g. The yield is also not the highest. But the taste is wonderful. Walnuts and hazelnuts are clearly visible. A very big difference from regular potatoes. Just a new look at the product.

The variety is stored very well and for a long time. It also transports well. And it retains all its beneficial dietary properties almost until spring. It does not lose them during heat treatment. Real food is medicine.

Variety "Adirondack Blue"

The name in its homeland is Adirondack Blue. Bred at Cornell University. It is distinguished by its highest yield and oval-rounded fruits, the average weight of which is about 100 g. The best purple chips can be obtained from the tubers of this variety. Ripening time is average - about 95 days. It is not resistant to diseases and has an average shelf life. But it contains enough antioxidants to make it preferable to traditional neutral-colored potatoes.

Should you grow purple potatoes? Definitely yes. And even if you don’t have room to roam around on your property, and no room for experiments, select a bed for a vegetable of a new color, displacing the good old potatoes. Select variety and ripening time. For example, if you traditionally grow a specific variety of winter potatoes, plant several rows of purple early ripening ones. And see what happens.

Already today there are private farms (not industrial ones) that have switched entirely to growing colored potatoes. It doesn't have to be purple. There are pink, blue, orange varieties. Each of them has its own exceptional beneficial properties. And the table and menu become more interesting, colorful and festive. Color is health. Why not grow a healthy product, even if it is an unusual purple color?!

Multi-colored potatoes, in particular purple ones, are such a curiosity for our compatriots, while abroad colored varieties can often be found in everyday food. While in Russia they are just getting used to vegetables of unusual colors, in the world there are already several dozen different varieties that differ from each other in growth qualities, adaptability and taste.

Origin

There are many versions of how exactly purple potatoes came to be. Many researchers are inclined to believe that dark purple wild potatoes originally originated in South America, in particular in Peru. Throughout its history, this unusually colored vegetable has been called differently: “negress”, “Chinese truffle”, “French truffle potato”.

Modern potatoes with purple flesh are the result of painstaking long-term selection. The first varieties were developed by Colorado scientists, who for decades tried to cultivate wild fruits growing in the American Mountains, which can not only satiate the stomach, but also improve health. It is not without reason that it has always been believed that the Peruvians and other tribes living in the southern hemisphere rarely got sick and were distinguished by an enviable longevity.

Cultivation was carried out within the framework of classical selection: the starting materials were wild potatoes and our regular ones. Finally they succeeded, but purple potatoes never became “their own” among the many thousands of modern varieties of this crop. Its amazing taste and range of beneficial properties were not enough in the pursuit of ease of care and abundance of harvest.

Note! Many believe that the unusual color of potatoes was obtained through genetic modification. This opinion is incorrect: its color is the result of hybridization of wild African and equatorial varieties.

In our country, colored potatoes are grown mainly for the sake of interest in the unusual fruit, but it is impossible to feed a family with them, since purple potatoes do not produce well. The foreigner misses either the rarefied air of the Andes highlands or the southern tropical climate, but our land is not to his taste, no matter how hard the agronomists try.

Currently, scientists have obtained several dozen varieties of different colors. But work to improve the quality of purple potato varieties continues. This gives reason to believe that purple potatoes will soon catch up with the most well-known varieties in terms of their characteristics and will then boldly spread throughout Russia.

Main crop varieties:

• Purple Peruvian;
• French purple truffle;
• Chinese truffle;
• Witelotte;
• Gourmet;
• Russian black.

Interesting: Due to its low prevalence, this potato is considered elite. Particularly popular in the USA, Asia and South America.

Characteristics of the species

Purple potatoes belongs to the Bindweed family. The fruits have an interesting oblong shape (uneven), dark purple color, due to the high content of anthocyanins.

Root vegetables reach 10 centimeters in diameter and weigh up to 80 grams. Ripens late, towards the end of September. One bush produces on average 5-7 fruits. There are many medium-depth ocelli on the surface. The peel is thick and rough. The flesh of the fruit is practically the same in color as the peel and is covered with a network of dark purple “veins.”

The taste of the purple fruit is slightly different from the usual “potato”: there is a slight nutty aftertaste, which adds piquancy to the dish.

The advantages of this type:

• exotic color allows you to prepare interesting dishes;
• interesting taste qualities;
• contains a huge amount of useful vitamins and microelements;
• excellent keeping quality.

• ripens very late;
• low yield;
• picky, demanding of care;
• susceptible to disease;
• expensive seed material.

Purple potatoes are mainly used by chefs to prepare unusual dishes. It is unpretentious in cooking, retains its appearance and color perfectly, unlike traditional varieties. Suitable for absolutely any dishes, including dietary ones.

Advice: The color does not change if you cook the potatoes in salt water.

The main differences between purple potatoes and regular potatoes:

1. The color of the peel, pulp and the plant itself is dark purple, almost black.
2. The root vegetables are clumsy and ugly in shape.
3. Indicated for various serious diseases.
4. Thick skins allow potatoes to last longer.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of the purple fruit lie in its unusual color. Purple pigment is rich in anthocyanins, which are beneficial for absolutely everyone. Potatoes are not only healthy, but also healing!

This type of potato contains vitamin A - a 150 gram tuber contains more than 500% of the daily value of this vitamin. The root vegetable also contains vitamins B - B6, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, folic acid, vitamins C and E, minerals calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, phosphorus.

Eating purple potatoes helps lower blood pressure in humans. Adding a small amount of potatoes to main dishes has a beneficial effect on heart function and acts as a preventive measure for the development of cardiovascular diseases and strokes.

Purple potatoes are able to remove toxins from the body due to their high content of carotenoids and phenolic acid. Thanks to antioxidants, harmful substances are not retained, and therefore the risk of developing, for example, an ulcer or gastritis is reduced. Purple potatoes are fibrous, which helps improve digestion.

Interesting: Some studies have shown that purple potatoes can slow down the aging process.

Calorie content

Purple potatoes are very high in calories; per 100 grams there are 72 kcal.

Composition per 100 grams:

• Proteins - 2.0 g;
• Fats - 0.4 g;
• Carbohydrates - 16.0 g;
• Organic acids - 0.1 g;
• Dietary fiber - 1.6 g;
• Water - 80.1 g;
• Ash - 1.4 g.

A little more about useful qualities:

• the variety is useful for diabetics due to its high starch and insulin content;
• if you bake or boil potatoes (that is, do not use additional fats when cooking), you can reduce the calorie content of the product;
• perfectly improves immunity;
• This miracle potato has the ability to strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Eating vegetables can reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
• It is known that colored fruits retain their beneficial properties even after heat treatment. But not all types of it are as useful as baking. Baked potatoes will bring a maximum of plant-based pigments and antioxidants to a person. It also retains potassium, ascorbic acid and fiber.

Note: People with low blood pressure should avoid eating this vegetable.

Features of cultivation

Growing purple potatoes requires a lot of attention, patience and effort from the gardener. The vegetable is very picky about environmental conditions, temperature and precipitation. However, if you try and follow all the necessary rules for growing this difficult plant, you can expect a decent harvest in the fall.

Where is it grown?

While in Russia this type of potato is still viewed with caution, purple tubers are very popular all over the world. Farmers in Canada, Scotland, the USA, and South Korea quite successfully cultivate it for sale.

In Korea, the vegetable is used as a staple in diets. The rejuvenating properties of potatoes have also shown themselves in cosmetology: various masks and cosmetics are quite popular in Asia.

Americans have become interested in making unusual, colorful chips. Now you can find bags of crispy purple slices in stores everywhere.

In the Russian Federation, the first harvest of colored potatoes was obtained only in 2007. Planting material was delivered from South Korea. Since 2011, it has been grown by Tomsk agronomists. However, while the cultivation of the purple variety is purely for informational purposes, it is not being planted on a large scale.

Soil preparation

To harvest a lot of potatoes in the fall, they need to be planted correctly in the spring. Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology will allow the seeds to germinate better, large bushes to grow and numerous tubers to form.

Purple potatoes should grow in calm conditions, not burdened by close proximity to other crops. For best growth, potato bushes need long daylight hours. It is advisable to arrange potato beds in the southern or southwestern parts of the garden.

The best soil for colored potatoes is sandy loam, sod-podzolic, loamy and floodplain soils with a neutral pH level. Light, loose soil will provide the root system with an abundance of air; moisture will not stagnate, which means the risk of developing fungus and rot will be minimal.

Fertilizers are applied to the soil per 1 square meter - 30 g of superphosphate and 15 grams of potassium salt. Be sure to ferment the soil with humus, thanks to which the tubers will develop.

In the spring, the garden needs to be dug up again in order to “shake up” the soil, saturate it with nutrients, and prepare it for work. Drained soil will help the sprouts quickly strengthen in new conditions and begin to grow.

Landing rules

Early potatoes are sown at the end of April, but only if warm weather sets in, since colored potatoes react quite sharply to temperature changes and frosts.

Seed potatoes are usually germinated before planting. To do this, the tubers are laid out in a warm place (the temperature should be at least 10 degrees) about a month before the planting procedure. In the warmth, the life processes of the potato will give rise to new sprouts. As soon as shoots appear, the temperature in the room is lowered to 5-7 degrees. To prevent new shoots from growing too long, the tubers provide plenty of sunlight. This will help curb uncontrolled germination.

Planting material must be soaked in fungicide to minimize the risk of plant damage by fungus.

The holes are placed further than when planting ordinary potatoes, since the bushes of this type of potato grow quite large and branchy. Plant the seeds to a depth of 8-10 centimeters. The distance between bushes should be at least 50 centimeters. The row spacing is made even larger - 60 centimeters wide. If the soil is dense, then add a little sand to the ground.

Growing purple potatoes is not easy. You need to be prepared for the fact that not all the potatoes will sprout, and usually no more than 7 potatoes are harvested from a bush, albeit very large ones.

Fact: If you propagate purple potatoes using “eyes”, the tubers quickly become smaller, turning into a wild-growing form.

Care

Caring for purple potatoes is required in the same way as when growing any other variety of this crop.

Basic rules of care:

Diseases and pests

Colored potato varieties get sick more often than other types of this crop. With proper care, white and yellow varieties can easily avoid fungal and bacterial diseases, while purple potatoes are more likely to suffer from disease. Therefore, seed potatoes and subsequently bushes must be sprayed with all kinds of chemicals that help reduce the development of diseases, and also carefully follow all the rules of agricultural technology. If measures are not taken in time, then even the most aggressive infection can infect the entire field in a matter of days.

Purple potato tubers are most susceptible to scab and late blight. That’s why it’s so important to add ash and lime to the soil – these components inhibit the development of diseases.

Disease prevention measures:

• plant purple potato varieties away from other crops;
• Potato beds need to be made in different places every year;
• treat tubers with antifungal drugs before planting;
• place potato plantings far from other nightshade crops;
• hill up bushes, loosen the ground, not allowing moisture to stagnate;
• when the bushes grow enough, they need to be treated with copper sulfate, adding 1 g of the substance per 1 liter of water.

Here's some information about purple "potatoes". It is not even from the nightshade family, so, in my opinion, it cannot be called a potato. A friend bought a couple of tubers, made a puree, says that the taste is peculiar and the color is scary, but you can eat it.

Purple potatoes- a plant of the Convolvulaceae family. This vegetable is also called “negress”, “Chinese truffle” or “blue French truffle potato”. The tubers of this potato are covered with a dark purple skin, which sometimes reaches almost black color. Beneath it there is pulp of almost the same color (see photo). The oblong tubers reach an average length of about 10 cm, with a weight of about 70 g. The tubers retain their color even after heat treatment.

It is still unknown how exactly this variety appeared. Many believe that its homeland is South America, where it is still grown in large quantities. Purple potatoes thanks to thicker skins can be stored for quite a long time. These root vegetables have a light nutty flavor.

Purple potatoes can be eaten similarly to the more familiar version. Since this vegetable contains a large amount of starch, the tubers are ideal for making purees. In this case, the dish will turn out not only tasty, but also unusual. In addition, root vegetables are baked in the oven, boiled, fried, etc. Purple potatoes add flavor and garnish to a variety of salads. It also makes delicious stews, casseroles and first courses.

Unexpected conclusions were made in light of recent studies of hybrids of domestic and foreign varieties of purple and blue potatoes. It turned out that the hybrid tuber absorbs harmful nitrates and nitrites three times less, maintaining the level of starch index. And the vitamin C content in two tubers is equal to its content in one lemon.

Purple potatoes are very susceptible to the pathogenic effects of scab and more often suffer from leaf blight. The Colorado potato beetle primarily eats purple potato plants, despite the high degree of pest control treatment. The most unpleasant fact remains that during “eye” propagation, the potato tuber stubbornly becomes smaller, turning into a wild form.

Interspecific hybrids were used to obtain new domestic varieties of purple potatoes. The source material for them was the maternal forms of South American cultivated potato species and domestic breeding varieties: Santarka, Exotic and Tiras. The classical method of sexual hybridization was applied, resulting in varieties with varying degrees of intensity of flesh color: from dark purple to pale pink. About 120 samples obtained are in selection work. This amount is very promising for obtaining fixed varieties with colored pulp.