A Successful Stroud Potato Day 2022

Here's the article in the latest online Transition Stroud newsletter - you can sign up for free to get the latest Stroud Transition news at: https://transitionstroud.org

The ever popular, annual Stroud Potato Day was a great success at the Farmers Market on 5 February.  Even the sun shone to remind us that the spring growing season is on its way. Down to Earth Seed Bank Saver, Richard Holland did a short recording for Gloucester radio, which was brilliant. Volunteers from Down to Earth and Transition Stroud (TS) managed to keep up with the demand for seed spuds and the stall was sold out by 12.30pm!  The Lemon Drizzle Potato Cake from TS's Norah Kennedy was a great success and there was keen interest in the TS Recipe books of potato dishes from local chefs, Norah and Josie Cowgil (of Edible Stroud) with illustrations by Jeff (who sells books in The Shambles every Saturday) and printing by Stroud's Dennis Gould. This book was commissioned and published a few years ago by TS. Two young ladies, Millie and friend, Luma, did a wonderful job of promoting the stall by walking around the market with samples of the cake!  Well done, both of you, definitely star quality work! Many varieties of potatoes were on offer with the more common names (Desiree and Pink Fir Apple) rubbing shoulders with the newer ones (Lucera and Ambo). The purple skinned Blue Danube may be difficult to find when harvesting, but is a delicious spud with stunning flowers. The children of Stroud customers were all given a 'Rainbow' potato to encourage their own adventure with growing and digging up the magic tubers later in the year. Like buried treasure! Many thanks go again to Gerb and his team for the stall and to all our helpers and customers. Run by two local organisations who encourage food sovereignty and reduced food miles with an emphasis on grow your own. Down to Earth has several Community Growing Schemes in the District, including The Vale Hospital in Dursley and Transition Stroud started the Potato Day ten years ago in what is now The Five Valleys shopping area.  It is not too late to buy seed potatoes (we get ours from the very knowledgeable folk at Dundry Nurseries, near Cheltenham) and make a belated 2022 Resolution to try growing some of your own fresh fruit and veg or join one of the growing schemes near you. Many thanks to all who helped with the day. The profit is shared between Down to Earth and Transition Stroud. Jane Brown and Amanda Godber