AROUND HASTINGS: St. Johns County farmers start harvesting potatoes
Nancy Quatrano
Some of the farmers in the Hastings/Spuds/Elkton agricultural area are currently harvesting their potato crops a bit earlier than usual due to good crop growth and industry demand.
A good number of the farms grow LaChipper potatoes. They are white-skinned and do well with our winter growing conditions. Sebagos are a traditional Florida variety that’s getting increasingly more difficult to find, but longtime residents and growers appreciate the unique flavor and texture of this white-skinned potato.
In this region, Irish potatoes were the first varieties to do well and those include the Gold Rush, Red Pontiac, and more recently, the Yukon Gold. One of the most successful yellow varieties however is the Satina that was introduced around 2002. People enjoy the yellow flesh and yellow skin of the potato. Only the Yukon Gold outsells the Satina in Florida.