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Number of Reviews: 7
KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease
Reviewed on 09/30/2010 by
Sue Fenton
- An experienced gardener
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 Overall
 Taste
 Yield
Ease
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Tioga, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Dark red color with a somewhat rough skin. Red/pinkish color meat with excellent flavor! Vines a little on the small side with medium yield. |
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Reviewed on 06/14/2008 by
canadamike
- An experienced gardener
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Ontario, Canada
Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| THE COLOR OF THE BOILED POTATO IS REPULSIVE TO SOME, AS IT LOOKS KIND OF PINKINSH/ DIRTY GREY |
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Reviewed on 01/22/2007 by
skiman
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
 Yield
Ease
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Franklin, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| It is interesting that ‘Starflakes’ complains about the yield of All Red, a.k.a. Cranberry Red, because those are the same results we had, and we were similarly disappointed.
If one peruses the literature, especially on-line sources, which are more prevalent than printed sources for this variety, one will conclude that the production characteristics of All Red are certainly inconsistent, if not unpredictable. While all mainstream potato varieties have proven, consistent, predictable, well-documented production characteristics, one must wonder why All Red would be so inconsistent, so unpredictable, so disappointing. One can only conclude that All Red, a.k.a. Cranberry Red, must be suffering from the same affliction that mainstream varieties experienced a century ago: that is, other red-fleshed varieties are masquerading as All Red, usurping its established name to make sales in the “specialty” and “heirloom” red-fleshed potato markets.
Recent field trials at the University of Kentucky (see http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/pr/pr488/5%20vegetables.HTM ) clearly show the disparity in production yields from different seed sources alleging the same variety. These data are so disparate that one is driven to conclude that there are probably two different varieties being represented.
The other possibility is that somehow strains or line selections have crept into the variety further confusing the matter.
This situation mirrors the problem at the onset of the twentieth century when Dr. Redcliffe N. Salaman (UK) and Dr. William Stuart (USA) identified the problem of synonymity and created the rules currently in place to regulate the issuance of variety names, to ensure that a variety is indeed what it is said to be, and to ensure that varieties are indeed separate and distinct from one and another. It is unfortunate that commercially minor varieties of potato, especially those marketed as “specialty” or “heirloom” varieties are not subjected to the same scrutiny as mainstream varieties. This is perhaps best exemplified by recent DNA fingerprinting analyses which discovered a multitude of blue-fleshed varieties were actually one and the same: All Blue, a.k.a. Congo.
The only real way to know what is going on with All Red is to run laboratory analyses on the various tubers and compare them to known standards.
It has been suggested that certifying agencies should decide that it is time to “clean up” All Red as a unique, red-fleshed clone and sell it as a truly defined and regulated variety. Until that happens, one really does not know what one is buying under that name.
In view of these uncertainties, about all one can do is buy certified or foundation seed from a reputable source and hope for the best. |
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Reviewed on 01/12/2007 by
starflakes
- An experienced gardener
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Roberts, South Dakota, United States
Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days
Soil Texture: Sand
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| I am puzzled by the reviews with envy as my All Red potatoes were small, barely yielded enough to eat and were an absolute disappointment 2 years in a row when my other varieties produced buckets. The flavor was a nice waxy potatoe for mashed potatoes and I just loved it, but it was disappointing in how bad they were in production. I had another red called Alaskan Sweeheart which is an all red and was just as horrid in production. |
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Reviewed on 12/28/2005 by
Miss_Mudcat
- An intermediate gardener
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Yield
Ease
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Indiana, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| I grew this lovely "pink" potato in a straw bed. I just kept piling composted horse manure and straw around the plants as they grew. They were just the right size, and so yummy! Harvesting was a breeze. I will certainly grow these again. |
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Reviewed on 12/28/2004 by
skiman
- An experienced gardener
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Yield
Ease
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Franklin, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| All Red, aka Cranberry Red, is until recently, the most widely grown of the red-fleshed varieties in North American red-fleshed varieties, and is currently the unofficial standard against which all red-fleshed potatoes are compared. Gardeners should be aware of the size of the tall, robust plants. They are huge. They stand up tall, not laying on the ground as some potato plants do. Give them a lot of space. In our experience, All Red is a late season variety despite what the literature says: plant them first, harvest them last. And allow an extra week for the vines to desiccate so the tubers come off the vines more easily. They will set heavy, but the tubers will generally run small. Yet, be aware that some growers report the tubers growing very large and susceptible to hollow heart. This has not been our experience. All Red does store well. Its flesh is pink, though the color will leach out more than one would like during cooking resulting in a pale-rose color. Still, a bowl of All Reds mashed will be more red-colored than a bowl of potatoes ought to be. Its flavor has been described as ranging from buttery, to rich and earthy, to fulsome, to that of English walnuts. Our experience is less effusive, but that only suggests using walnut oil in one's potato salad or being otherwise imaginative with one's toppings. While it is considered a multipurpose potato, it's specific gravity is low and its texture is smooth, so it is best used for boiling or for salads. |
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Reviewed on 11/10/2004 by
russell
- An experienced gardener
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Taste
Yield
Ease
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Ontario, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| I grow this one to serve to friends and family during the holiday season. Red mashed potatoes,more like pink. It's nice to be able to add color to your meal. A specialty/curiosity potato that is worth planting a few hills. |
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