When it comes to the geography of potatoes, most folks think they know the answer: Idaho! All potatoes hail from South America originally, though, and most can be traced back to Chile. That said, Texas boasts a reasonable crop of potatoes, itself, with some 22,000 acres in production for a cash value of more than 60 million dollars annually. While French fries are hardly the backbone of a healthy diet, a potato’s nutritive value is nothing to scoff at. A hundred-gram specimen packs half an adult’s daily requirement of vitamin C, plus a good dose of B vitamins, potassium, and phosphorus. The protein in potatoes complements that in cereal grains to make a complete set, and the carbohydrate they deliver is easy to digest. According to the Peru-based International Potato Center, these qualities, along with the potato’s ability to grow in diverse conditions around the world, make it a great alternative staple as wheat and rice prices continue to climb. At Texas A&M, “Aggie Spud” researchers are breeding new potato varieties aimed to increase production and heighten culinary quality across the state. A potato is healthiest if you eat its skin, and the best-tasting skins are fresh and unblemished. The best spuds, then, are those that haven’t been banged up while traveling from afar. The one pictured above, a red variety from Naegelin Family Farm, traveled from Lytle, southwest of San Antonio. The Naegelins can be found at the downtown farmers’ market in Austin every Saturday morning.
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Mmm… Potatoes. I just read an article…somewhere about how there are patio garden potato “bags”. It’s basically a big bag of dirt on a stand, so people can grow potatoes in tight spaces. (like my walkway!)
2008 is the International Year of the potato. Potatoes are so delicious! Eating the skin can be nutritious, but a potato is even healthier if it is cooked with other vegetables and less butter.
Germany’s King Frederick William once ordered peasants to plant and eat potatoes or their noses would be cut off.
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