Tattie picking

Half term again, commonly known as 'Tattie picking' here.
These days it's all mechanised and the the roads are busy with tractors pulling trailer loads of local potatoes such as 'Premier' and 'Kerrs Pink'.

Of course to the school kids, it just means two weeks holiday and so far, the weather has been quite nice.

Re: Tattie picking

Ive picked acres of tatos,along with acres of every thing else ,then when the first machines came on the scene it was usually me that followed picking the tatos left behind ,while the others were on the machine picking the bad ones out . I love the smell of freshly turned earth .

Re: Tattie picking

It isn't half term till next week here.
I can't see many young ones picking tatties these days.

Re: Tattie picking

My missus won't have any potatoes for chips other than Maris Pipers (I think that's the name) from Scotland, very popular here in Dublin, gets the big bags delivered from our local greengrocer, she makes a lot of chips for the grandkids and she says they are the best, so do the kids, tell them to keep 'em coming George.

Re: Tattie picking

Used to go tattie picking when i was 12, hard day in the fields for a few coppers, was allowed to take some spuds home in a sack balanced on the handlebars of my bike which i pushed 2 miles home. I hate potatoes wont eat the things, family were happy though.

Re: Tattie picking

Those were the days!!-break your back but the money was good,One shilling nine pence a bag and my best was 13 bags an hour. Pity was we cleared a field in a morning.

And the Italian women!!-I was dead skinny back then I they teased me rotten-Stefano you need pasta to make you strong,they used to bring me food,slapped my thighs in the van that picked us up. Allora those days must have left an impression because I met Jenny in an Italian evening class many years later.