Māori potato cultivars

[Tom Wagner]

I am intrigued with Māori potato cultivars, and I did a search for potato with a Maori translation site and found the following as Maori varieties.

· parete
· mahetau
· waiti
· pārete
taewa, rīwai
· karupoti
· pākoro
· pāpaka
· pokohinu.
· kapetana
· apetaonga
· tūtaekurī
See also urenika.
· taewa
· waeruru
· taraka
· roke kurī


and I realized that there must be a lot of varieties of potatoes grown at one time or another by the various Maori tribes of New Zealand..
Here is a picture of a Taewa..
Karuparera – a taewa cultivar






and this appears different from the Kowiniwini potato.... http://www.koanga.org.nz/shop/backor...ato-kowiniwini

one having white flesh and the other yellow.

Many of these Maori potato clones look like Peruvian land races but with the long days of NZ acting as a filter on the short day Peruvian clones....I am interested in them for breeding these heirloom varieties for the USA, especially here in the PNW/coastal Washington.

The Maori potato clones would be valuable to cross to the many (969) accessions of Solanum tuberosum subsp. andigenum that are from the Andes, mostly from Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina....

I have been using the Andean lines frequently but I think mixing up the day length adaptation would be a useful tool for maximizing the diversity for high latitudes like where I live (47-48) degrees North.

I understand that there are about 50 varieties of Maori potato according to a couple with the names Gripp and Bertrand.

This topic is started with the idea of getting TPS and/or tubers from the Maori collection into the USA. I will implore the Potato Introduction Station to join with me in a joint request for some of these potatoes to go through quarantine for eventual release as mini tubers/meristem samples.

I also am asking those who live in NZ to make contacts with folks who have these many varieties to obtain TPS...if nothing else...for distribution.

Gripp and Bertrand



Tom Wagner...somewhat obsessive with excessive/successive collectivisms

[wingnut]

They certainly are beautiful.

[Medbury Gardens]

I had a phone call last night from a man who's looking for another version of Kowiniwini that he knew was about years ago,it had the shape of Urenika as well as the same colour patterns,i asked him if he does find it may i have a few,hopefully another one for you as well Tom.

[Medbury Gardens]

Tom- i've had discussions with my colleagues at Koanga about getting a few of the Maori varieties over to you to work with and they are rather interested in the idea,ive suggested that Setha join up here to TV so that those who are interested can follow progress within the forum discussion.Its Setha's job within the Koanga group to handle the NZ heirloom potato collection.

I get a few Kowiniwini away to you in the next few days,sorry my focus has over the last week or so has been revolving around company issues and not so much about gardening,especially when its mid winter.

[Tom Wagner]

I was looking at the Workshops sponsored by Koanga. Got me thinking....

http://www.koanga.org.nz/shop/workshops

I wonder if there would be room someday for a tomato/potato workshop on breeding NZ heirloom varieties among new developments like what I have and could propose. At the rate of payment necessary...if I could get a fair number of participants for a workshop....it could pay for my flight and some of my lodging/meal expenses. Each sign-up member could get oodles of new germplasm, hybrids, F-2 seed in connection with heritage seeds and tubers on either island. It might take a year or more to plan but I would like to suggest the idea to Koanga. Medbury Gardens could be a site for one or more of the workshop activity centers.

[Medbury Gardens]

Sounds an interesting idea Tom,i'm sure there would be enough interest within this NZ to to make running such a workshop worth while.
You would be so well looked after while you would be here,i know this from experience,i attend a Koanga meeting back in Feb and man ive never eaten so much seafood in my life

OK,i better keep pushing this along at my end.

[Tom Wagner]

When I give workshops...I like to eat boiled potatoes in their jackets either with or without salt...in front of folks to illustrate my facial expressions when I eat dozens of varieties of potatoes. It is not unusual for me to cook 20 or more varieties...some rare..some common ......and consume maybe 5 lbs. of potatoes in front of the audience as I pass around the samples for comparison.

As I talk and sample...I allow a few minutes to go by between the really good tasting potatoes to illustrate my expression when a potato variety has a lingering 'pleasantry' that is almost indescribable.

Growing so many rare and freshly 'made-up' varieties makes me a connoisseur of sorts....so many years eating so many varieties... When I describe flavor I may allude to a Ober Arnbacher Fruhe or a Yema de Huevo sensation. Sometimes I talk about flavors from Green Mountain, Cobbler, Kern Toro, or Amey Russet. The point is clear...why waste your attention to potato varieties if you don't find one or two that you don't want to live without?

I often take famous quotes out of context. Like this one...

To save a variety...you have to eat it
to eat a variety..you have to grow it
to grow a potato...you have to find it
if nobody has it to find....how do you save it?
I try to find it before it is too late.
My workshop is like a finder's fee

Tomato tasting among my new and old varieties would be great part of a workshop. Demonstrating the crossing of varieties is always a big...'get the crowd up on their feet' event.

Any workshop that is expensive to attend should be offered to young kids at little or no expense. They need to see us old timers act like kids again.

As kids become young adults they must see the necessity of growing food and saving seed.

As the adults exceed the necessitates of growing food...they have fun.

As they have fun...it becomes a hobby.

Hobbies can turn into jobs

Jobs upon retirement become hobbies

Hobbies become blessings

Blessings beget food

Tom Wagner

[Medbury Gardens]

Got a love those sayings Tom and are so true as well,
Don't know if its the same in the US but here there's been a push to get kids growing veggies at school in recent years which just fantastic,this has helped push up seed sales along with the higher food prices.

So what would your favorite or favorites potatoes?

[John Stewart]

I thought this was a really good piece on Maori cultivars.

http://repository.openpolytechnic.ac...299harrisg.pdf

[salix]

John, thank you for posting that study. I found it fascinating. Also very interesting to read about those cultivars that set small tubers in the leaf axils above ground (reminded me of blackberry lilies). Was very neat to see those Ureniki growing 'wild'.

[John Stewart]

Glad you enjoyed it, salix. I seem to remember having read somewhere that the mini-tuber formation in the leaf axils is a common trait to some andigenum types, but I can't remember where I found it now... Maybe someone more knowledgable than myself will chime in. I am growing 'Peruvian Purple' fingerling which at least superficially resembles 'Urenika'. I would love to compare them some day.