That's Life...?

A particularly bizarre Pink Fir Apple potato

In between the gallows humour invoked by the worst growing season in living memory and other odd bits of silliness, posts on this blog have tackled some fairly deep issues, climate change, Fair Trade and racial prejudice (not exclusively in relation to squirrels) to name a few.  There have been highbrow and lowbrow literary references, the odd nod to the film buff and a few passages of purple prose that got dangerously close to poetry.  This post isn't like any of those.  It exists entirely to amuse and delight those of you who enjoy that time-honoured tradition of sniggering at 'rude' vegetables. 

A few weeks ago, I was despairing at the state of my potato crop after a particularly virulent attack of blight during the late summer, but I think it's fair to say that the harvest has so far been better than expected and has indeed produced a few surprises...

Those of you old enough to remember the lowlights of Sunday evening TV in the 1970s will agree that this particular 'Pink Fir Apple' tater is unlucky to have been born too late and thus miss out on a staring role on 'That's Life'! 

If 'Pink Fir Apple' spuds are worthy of a giggle individually, collectively they are hilarious, one might even suggest 'hysterical'.  I hesitate to imagine what the Victorians who first cultivated them made of them.  Mash, presumably, for the sake of modesty, and even then, possibly not for their wives or servants!

A photo worthy of a caption competition, perhaps?

It's not just the spuds that can be a potentially embarrassing addition to the veg box or the dinner plate.  Parsnips grown in stony ground can also turn out to be rather amusing, even if not particularly impressive.

Well, that's lowered the tone enough for one blog and probably put several of you off your dinner.  Something more edifying next time, I promise!

But I do wonder whatever happened to that skateboarding duck and the dog that could say 'sausages'...