Aardappels 'Wilja' / 'Jose'

(1975) Een Nederlands ras dat voortkomt uit de rassen Climax, Craigs Bounty en Profijt. Het ras wordt nu nog in Engelstalige landen graag geteeld vanwege de middenvroege, grote oogst en de ruime toepasbaarheid: koken (licht kruimig tot vrij vast), bakken en frituren. De knollen zijn lichtgeel van schil en tamelijk lang-ovaal van vorm.

Het Engelstalige commentaar van een kenner: An excellent choice of potato not only because it is extremely versatile but primarily because of taste. Wilja tastes of real potato and takes of some of the characteristics of the soil in which it is grown. As you might guess, the supermarkets didn’t like the idea of a potato tasting like a potato so they dumped Wilja several years ago in favour of the blander Estima.

For amateur gardeners interested in a second early that is full of flavour and suffers from no major drawbacks then we recommend Wilja very highly…

The yield from Wilja is good, not astonishing but very acceptable. What is unusual about this variety is that the majority of potatoes produced reach full size with only very small differences between them. The flesh is of a medium dry texture making this an excellent all round potato for roast, boiling, jackets and chips. One of Wilja’s enduring advantages over some potatoes is that it holds its shape well even when boiled for a couple of minutes longer than necessary.