Lonely Mountain Farm Brings Blue Potatoes to Market

Faced with the puzzling plight of only having five dollars in my pocket, I went to the Eastside Market this weekend on the prowl for deals. I never guessed that I would leave with two pounds of blue potatoes. 

Currently, the most affordable of market fare are potatoes, some squash and a million kinds of leafy greens. The most exciting of the modestly-priced produce, though, are the blue potatoes from the recent market arrival: Lonely Mountain Farm.

The purple-fleshed “All Blue” variety is one of seven different potato varieties owner Kenny Baker, 27, has in the ground at his farm in Freedom.

“I thought potatoes would be a good one to grow because they don’t go bad real quick,” said Baker, now entering his second growing season leasing and farming his own land. “And I wanted to grow lots of varieties of a vegetable that people take for granted,” he said. 

Indeed, these are not your average supermarket potatoes. Purple Vikings, All Red, and French Fingerling potatoes were the other heirloom varieties available for $2.50 a pound. Each bin contained a halved potato to show the flesh, and it was the cross section of the All Blue that won me over, along with the friendly attendant’s advice that they are high in antioxidants (especially the skins) and great for roasting. 

Earthy, firm, and forever intriguing, these potatoes roasted up deliciously with a little bit of rosemary, olive oil and an extremely aromatic clove of Lonely Mountain’s Purple Glazer garlic — one of several types of garlic Baker is also bringing to market. 

One of the reasons these make for such fine roasting potatoes is that they are “waxy,” Baker explained. 

“There are two kinds of potato flesh, one is waxy and the other is starchy. When you cook a starchy potato, it will kind of fall apart and the skin wont stay with the flesh, which kind of lends itself to a different kind of cooking. Waxy potatoes stay together, which is why a lot of chefs really like them,” said Baker. 

He recommends a starchy potato, like the creamy-fleshed Purple Viking variety for mashed potatoes.

The next potato variety to hit markets this weekend are the Inca Gold, which Baker describes as “truly versatile, great baked, mashed, boiled or roasted.” The Inca Golds are streaked purple and brown, he said, with an egg yolk colored flesh. They sound like they won't be too hard to spot.

Finding a niche in the farmers market world is key to a farm’s success, so growing something your neighbor isn’t selling is a necessary tactic, and Baker seems to have this dialed.

“It’s a tough business to crack into, but he’s been going about it in a really smart way. He’s been immersed in the farmers market culture for years so he really understands what it's all about and that’s rare,” said Nesh Dhillon, manager of the Santa Cruz Community Farmers Market.

Baker has worked for several different farms, like Thomas Farm, and Old Creek Ranch, and also completed the apprenticeship program at UCSC.

While most booths at the market consist of tables propped up under a tent, you can spot Lonely Mountain Farm by it’s wooden booth, which Baker built on wheels to easily tow to market. 

“It’s an artistic expression but it’s very functional,” said Dhillon.

Visit Lonely Mountain Farm at any Santa Cruz market except the Westside one. On the more distant horizon, Baker will be bringing different varieties of shelling beans to market, estimated to be ready in September.

Lonely Mountain Farm's Potato Guide: 

Yellow Finn potato: great all-purpose potatoes, known for their yellow flesh, creamy texture, and buttery flavor.

Purple Viking: slightly sweet, general purpose potato. A choice variety for any preparation, snow-white flesh is excellent for mashing.

La Ratte Fingerlings: rich, chestnut-like flavor and has a long and favorable reputation with gourmets and chefs. Smooth and creamy when pureed, yet firm-textured when steamed or boiled, it is highly versatile and outstandingly delicious.

Inca Gold: streaked purple and brown over yellow skin with an egg-yolk yellow flesh. Truly versatile. Great baked, mashed, boiled or roasted

French Fingerling: pink-purple skin. Flesh is firm, waxy texture and pink just under the skin. Excellent steamed, boiled, sautéed, and grilled.        

All Blue: bold, rich, earthy to nutty. Tastes like a real potato and is very high in antioxidants, especially the skin. A top-rated baking potato. Excellent for steaming, mashing and brightly-colored salads. Keeps its color when cooked.

All Red:  brilliant red skin and pinkish-red flesh. Popular in potato salads and potato pizzas. This potato's fine, moist, creamy texture makes sublime scalloped potatoes. The best of the red-skinned/pink-fleshed potatoes.