Crop Spot: Potatoes

I’m a potato kind of person. Not only is the tuber ingrained in my personal heritage of a Midwestern girl with Irish ancestry, I am one to know where to get the best fry in town, and be absolutely comforted by a mashed potato ‘volcano’ with gravy spilling over the side.

While the modern potato is beloved by the snackers and the farmers of Michigan (we are a major producer of potatoes, especially new potatoes), it also has a complex past. Hailing from South America as early as 11,000 BCE, where the Inca and other peoples of the Andes were able to grow many different varieties at high altitudes, the potato didn’t make waves in European cuisine until Parmentier began to champion the vegetables in the late 18th century. The potato, after his promotion, took off as a crop staple – and Parmentier’s gravesite in Pere-Lachaise Cemetery still gets adorned with spuds as a thanks. Once potatoes were established as a staple crop, there were significant road bumps, such as the Irish Potato Famine, but the potato took hold as dishes from colcannon to gnocchi to aloo gobi became popular, and are now even being studied for as a crop for the future by the International Potato Center

Potatoes In the Garden: 

Potatoes grow from “seed potatoes”, or potatoes with eyes. You want to plant these seed potatoes in slightly acidic soil, making sure that there isn’t too much moisture, as your tubers will rot. For those in small spaces, try growing potatoes in bags “lasagna” style

Potatoes In the Medicine Cabinet: 

Potatoes are a great source of Vitamin C, up to 45% of the Daily Recommended Value. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and helps wounds heal, which is why it is recommended to eat potatoes with their skin on, where a lot of the vitamin is found. 

Potatoes In the Kitchen: 

Potatoes are a storage vegetable, and can be held for months in the right conditions. Place them in a cardboard box or basket, and keep them in a cool and dark location (45-50 degrees Fahrenheit.) Don’t put them in the fridge, which will be too cold, and turn the potato’s starches into sugar. Make sure not to store your potatoes with your apples or onions – they release gasses that will cause the other to ripen. 

I mean, what can’t you do with the potato? Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew, but also fry them, roast them, saute them, stick them in a pancake! There are many different ways you can go with the potato but my preference lies with German Potato Salad, which has been ever-present at family gatherings and fond memories. Here’s an updated, roasted version of that favorite dish

Claire Butler is the Content Strategy Specialist for Taste the Local Difference. Contact her at [email protected].