New Potato Varieties get extra push in Oregon, Washington

The Oregon Potato Commission has committed an extra $60,000 this year in funding for the potato variety development program at Oregon State University, said Bill Brewer, the commission’s executive director.

Among those new varieties Brewer is most excited about is the AmaRosa, a red-skin/red-flesh variety the commission showed off to chefs at specialty cooking events in 2009.

This is the first year the variety has been released to growers, Brewer said, though it could be another year before the AmaRosa is on retail shelves.
 

Another new variety developed by Oregon State, however, will likely be available commercially this fall in small numbers, Brewer said.

The Purple Pelisse is a purple-skin/purple-flesh variety that Klamath Basin growers have exclusive rights to, he said.

The specialty variety succeeds, Brewer said, where some of its predecessors failed.

“It has good flavor and holds its color, which is something purple growers have had trouble with,” he said.