Winter Veggie Highlight: Potatoes
Introduction - The world will forever be indebted to Peru for the delicious discovery of potatoes. Peruvians would freeze dry potatoes into something called chuño which could be stored for up to a decade! This preservation technique helped ward off starvation when crops failed or food was limited. These days China leads potato production around the world.
Although it’s nice to be able to enjoy potato recipes from all around the world, there’s nothing quite like a local spud fresh from the farmers market. Our market farmers offer you unique and rare potato varieties that you just can’t find in most grocery stores.
Overview - Potatoes are a nightshade and belong to the same family that eggplants and tomatoes do. A cup of potatoes has about 120 calories, whereas a cup of rice has 210 or so calories. Yes potatoes are a starchy veggie, but they really aren’t nearly as calorie dense as other types of carbs. They are also full of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber, especially when consumed with the skin.
Potatoes that are blue or purple in hue also have tons of anthocyanins which are a type of antioxidants.
A mixture of potatoes, butter, and milk has pretty much everything a person needs to stay functional during times of famine. Historically, in when nutrition is hard to come by, potatoes usually get people through. In fact, during the Klondike Gold Rush (1897–1898), even potatoes were so scarce and essential for survival that miners were willing to pay for them with gold.
Uses + Storage - Potatoes can be used in everything from a creamy mash or crunchy potato salad to fries, soups, and casseroles.
It’s best to store potatoes in dry, cool, dark places. Exposure to heat and light will quickly degrade potatoes and cause them to sprout and shrivel up. It’s also best to store them aways from onions as the ethylene gas onions produce speeds up the decay rate in potatoes. It’s best to consume potatoes before they start to sprout or get soft and wrinkly.
Potato leaves are not edible and can be toxic if consumed so never eat potato leaves.
How to pick a good potato - Look for firm, heavy, and dry tubers with smooth skin, avoiding those with green spots, sprouts, deep cuts, or soft, wrinkled, or moldy patches.
Recipes -
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