LIKABLE larrikin Lionel Stokell has been digging in the potato patch since he was a child.

With dirt under his nails, he is at home on the land, labouring the soil with his potato fork.

The 75-year-old from Longford is known around the traps for his earthly goods - growing potato varieties such as dutch creams, royal blues, sequoia and desirees - and selling them to passers-by.

``I sort of followed in my dad's footsteps,'' Mr Stokell said.

``He always grew enough potatoes for the family and neighbours, that's how things worked in my day.

``What he (his father) used to do when he started off in potato plots, you would have two or three pigs and no rings in their noses so they would root.

``He fenced a couple of acres off, put a couple of pigs in there and let them root it up and then it was ready.''

While methods may have changed from days of pigs and draught horses, it seems Mr Stokell's passion for the ``pomme de terre'' has only increased - so much so, not even illness could keep him from the plot.

``I was in the Royal Hobart Hospital for seven weeks. I was only home a fortnight and I hopped on the tractor to work the ground up, put the planter on, put the potatoes in and a fortnight later I was back in the General (Launceston General Hospital) for six weeks.

``I was lucky to get them in . . . the girls helped and watered them.

``If you want to start digging them before Christmas, I put them in about August 25 and when I dig that patch out at Christmas, I would slip in another lot behind them for Easter.''

About 22 years ago, he started growing Dutch cream potatoes after seeing the seed advertised in the Kingston region, near Hobart.

``I had never heard of them so I went down, got them and grew them,'' he said.

``As far as I know, I was the first one who grew Dutch creams up here 22 years ago.

``They are very nice potatoes, but there are quite a few other varieties which are just as good.''

Mr Stokell said people today struggled to cook a potato properly and he had this tip: ``The best way, if you want a nicer potato, is to cook him in his skin and you will find mostly when the skin breaks or cracks, the potato is cooked,'' he said.

``You can put a fork in him and take the skin off with a knife, then you don't waste any peeling.''

- Got a food tip? Email rgalloway@examiner.com.au or follow me on twitter @RockyGourmetRd