Sheldon Farms

[docsconz]

The best gnocchi I have ever eaten were made by eGullet Society member JosephB using potatoes from Sheldon Farms. One might think a potato is just a potato and I did until I started eating the potatoes from Sheldon farms in Salem, N.Y. This article from The Albany Times Union explains what makes the farm and its potatoes so special.

To stay afloat, Sheldon Farms has diversified its potato crops. As recently as 10 years ago, Sheldon grew perhaps four or five varieties; today, a full dozen different kinds of potatoes are available from Sheldom Farms, from sturdy whites as big as navel oranges to slender little fingerlings the size of, well, little fingers. The varieties' interior flesh ranges from snow to butter, and a pair of recently developed, antioxidant-rich New York varieties are crimson or blueberry all the way through.

"Some of those knobby little things are really ugly," says Pat Sheldon with a laugh, "but it turns out you get terrific flavor from those ugly little knobby things."

Among the varieties grown by Sheldon Farms are Russian banana, French fingerling, La Ratte and Austrian crescent, all fingerlings; Duke of York and Rose Gold, both red-skinned with yellow flesh; Eva, a traditional white potato; and Adirondack reds and Adirondack blues, potatoes hybridized at Cornell University's crop-development farm in Lake Placid.

The Adirondack potatoes have a deep, almost nutty flavor Pat Sheldon likes to say they're "10 times tastier than your average spud" and they mash into a light fluff with just a few pushes of a fork.

As great as their potatoes are, that is not the only thing they grow well. For instance, their corn is amongst the most prized of the North Country and their farmstand carries superb local cheeses and breads in addition to their and other produce.

[Mayur]

What variety did he use to make the gnocchi? Just curious (I've always used russets and they've worked just fine, but new info always helps...)

[docsconz]

What variety did he use to make the gnocchi? Just curious (I've always used russets and they've worked just fine, but new info always helps...)

←

I think they were the basic whites if I remember correctly.

[JosephB]

What variety did he use to make the gnocchi? Just curious (I've always used russets and they've worked just fine, but new info always helps...)

←

I think they were the basic whites if I remember correctly.

←

That's right, as preferred by Marcella Hazan.

[phaelon56]

This past Autumn I had dinner in the restaurant at Elderberry Pond Farms just outside of Auburn NY. The grounds and the dining room itself were gloriously beautiful and worth the trip - the meal was adequate but uninspiring. But the fingerling potatoes served with the dinner? Spectacular!

I can't recall how many times in my life and in how many styles I've eaten potatoes - it's at least 10,000 or more - literally (I'm from an Irish family). But these were different. The texture was so delicate - firm yet smooth - and the taste so rich - it was almost as though they were infused with butter. But they were not infused and hadn't been cooked in any kind of fat. They were just REALLY good potatoes.

It's enough to make me want to re-explore a food I no longer eat much of.