Dry Farmed Potatoes from Oh! Tommy Boy's Organic Farm

[Melanie Wong]

Last weekend at the Sunday farmers market in Sebastopol I stopped at the dry farmed potatoes stand to get some advice on something suitable for the soupy la ribollita I've been brewing. Many to choose from, priced at $3 per pound, and the rec was the Bintje as one that wouldn't fall apart after boiling.

As crisp as a firm apple raw, the waxy Bintje has delivered as promised in the soup pot. I bought an extra one to use for hash browns, just so I could see what it tastes like on its own. The flavor is much more intense, making itself heard over the butter in the pan.

Oh! Tommy Boy's Organic Farm and Coastal Fog Organic Farm stand -
http://static.flickr.com/116/29215311...

[rworange]

Actually didn't notice this post until today. Berkeley Bowl is currently selling Oh! Tommy Boy's potatoes for $2.69 a pound.

Here's a link to a Via article about this farm.
http://www.viamagazine.com/top_stories/articles/Potatoes05.asp

The Petaluma Farm has been in business since 1926 ... and dry farms their 30 varieties of potatoes. I'll bet this was the farm I missed on my last trip to Petaluma. I would like to try the candy cane potato which the above link says ...

"They’re the sweetest we grow, and they’re great looking: pink outside and white with a pink swirl inside. We sell out each year."

Here's more info with the address of the farm and hours.
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/datastore/detailreport.cfm?usernumber=53&surveynumber=235

It says ...
"This ranch has dry farmed potatoes since 1926. Family history of planting potatoes in Bloomfield area dates back to the 1850's."

The potato I thought was the most distinctive from the Berkely Bowl was the Kennebec which would make a terrific fry and had an intense sweetness ... for a potato.
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/plaveg/potpom/var/kennebec/kennebece.shtml

Here's some of the other potatoes sold at the Bowl.
Durango
http://www.milkranch.com/Potato/GardenData.aspx?Var=31
Huckleberry
http://www.milkranch.com/Potato/GardenData.aspx?Var=HK
Purple Viking
http://www.milkranch.com/Potato/GardenData.aspx?Var=PV
Chieftan
http://www.umaine.edu/PAA/Varieties/chieftain.htm
German Butterball
http://www.milkranch.com/Potato/Garde...

Oh! Tommy Boy's Organic Farm & Coastal Fog Organics
5880 Carroll Rd
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-876-1818 or 707-876-9679

Hours open to public:
Wednesday-Sunday 9am-5pm September-March

[moto]

thank you for posting the specifics on that farm; that's the sort of multi-generation farmers' wisdom I referred to, on your other potato thread.

[Waterboy]

I'll bet this was the farm I missed on my last trip to Petaluma.
-------------------

You won't find 'em anywhere near Petaluma....and, oddly, UC Davis has them listed under 'Grown In Marin,' which they're not.

Try 5-6 miles North West of the old Coast Guard Training Center, and West of Bloomfield.

[miss louella]

It's easy to miss Oh Tommy Boy's but worth finding. When you're heading north on 1, Carroll is *just* after that Old Amsterdam (windmill sign) place. Take a right on Carroll (it only goes right) and make your way over the patchy road about a mile (there's a sign). Turn left into the driveway and park between the second house and the barn. The potato shed is right there next to the house, but if no one noticed you driving up, try knocking on the house door. Everyone I've met has been super nice and extremely helpful. Oh, and I'm pretty sure only fingerlings are $3/lb at the farm; the big spuds are $2/lb.