Blue potatoes have been around for a long time, but their "odd" color has put people off buying and growing them. Blue potatoes were first introduced to the United States in the 1970s and heirloom varieties were grown long before that. These interesting-looking potatoes are rich in antioxidants and offer colorful variety on the table. They encompass all shades from true blue to purple and are slowly gaining traction in the marketplace.
All Blue
All blue is the most commonly available variety of blue potato. The medium-sized potato has a dark blue skin that verges on purple. The texture is a little grainy but the flesh is firm and moist, making it suitable for cooking, baking and mashing. The all blue potato also goes under different names, such as Eureka purple and Fenton blue.
Adirondack Blue
Adirondack blue is an early-maturing, versatile potato. Use it for baking, boiling and mashing, or to add color to salads. Potatoes are large in a round or rectangular shape; the flesh and skin are both purple in tone. According to the Cornell University extension service, this variety can suffer from potato scab but is resistant to golden nematode.
Less Common Blue Potatoes
A wide variety of blue potatoes can keep you cooking with blue throughout the entire potato season--if you can get hold of them. AC blue pride stores well and has white flesh with a smooth, purplish-blue skin. The potatoes are oval to oblong. Mayan gold has long potatoes with yellow flesh and partly blue skin. It is a late-maturing potato. True blue works for boiling and baking and produces oblong tubers with dark purple, tan-flecked skin and purplish-blue skin; it can be stored for up to nine months. The flesh is purplish-blue.
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