Potato Heads

This appeared in the May 7, 2020 edition of The Fish Wrap

This is a thrilling time of year when we are busy planting a multitude of veggies in the garden. Bok Choy, Lettuce, Onions, Beets, Cabbage, Spinach, it goes on and on! They all get planted in different ways, some transplanted, some direct seeded. Some of them are new to us or new to our community. Sometimes it’s nice to go back to basics and plant the humble potato. The tradition is to plant potatoes on Good Friday but we got to it a few days later.

We plant potatoes by putting a potato in the ground. But the planting itself is elemental and simple. You take a potato or piece of potato that has at least one eye, dig a hole a bit bigger than the potato, put it in the hole and cover. Around 4 months later, you dig the mound with a potato fork and pull out potatoes! The nickname ‘Spud’ comes from the tool that was used to both plant and harvest potatoes, similar to a spade. 

Originating in Peru, potatoes have become a staple food in America and Europe, allowing cultures to survive and flourish. Potatoes are easy to grow and store which is important during a pandemic. After flowering, potato plants produce green fruits that contain around 300 seeds. Like all parts of the plant besides the tuber, these fruits contain an alkaloid that is toxic to humans. It’s a good thing the tuber is so delicious!

Potatoes are a near perfect food, containing most of the nutrients humans need to survive. If you add a little grass-fed butter for fat and protein, you have a nutritious, tasty meal! Different varieties have different nutrients. The Yukon Gold was prized by gold miners for its high vitamin C content. And don’t forget - vodka comes from potatoes!