Young potatoes for Sant John's eve

[GunnarSK]

It is Swedish habit to dig and eat the first homegrown potatoes for midsummer celebration on midsummer evening, which is celebrated together with John the Baptist on saint JOhn's eve yesterday. This has little to do with astronomical solstice Tuesday or official/calendar solstice Wednesday, the first day of summer, which lasts to the beginning of autumn 21 September.

[sweetquietplace]

My Swedish mother (born 1902) used to tell me about the train that would take people up beyond the Arctic Circle for the summer solstice...party all night long when the sun never set.

[GunnarSK]

I did not even visit the allotment or harvest the first potatoes today,and that will be more than four days late, since saint JOhn's eve was last friday. Potatoes are available considerably earlier, imported from the South, eg. from Egypt and the Canaries, but those are not true young potatoes, rather some industrial product. A Swedcdish speaking potato grower in Finland said, that potatoes should be dug only when the water was boiling to be fresh.

[jayb]

The shops here also sell old 'new' potatoes, but the skin is firmly set! Later in the year they just call them baby potatoes.

Enjoy your homegrown new potatoes Even if they missed the Solstice, I'm sure they will be even tastier.

[GunnarSK]

The Swedish Midsummer Evening does not always coincide with saint JOhn's eve 23 June. It has been decided that MIdsummer Evening is the Friday between 19 and 25 June.iMidsummer Day is the next day, ie. a Saturday. Both days are public holidays in Sweden and Finland, which is most significant for the Friday, which is an additional day off for many.