Abby Look_Vegetable Kitchen

Potato Lovers Vegetable Kitchen ~ Special Edition

7 New

Recipes for the family How Potatoes Changed The World

Letter from the Editor As this year wraps up, a few of us decided to start something new with Vegetable Kitchen - Special Editions! Each year, we will spotlight two different vegetables and dedicate a whole magazine to those specific vegetable recipies and articles. As this edition is about potatoes, we learn about where they came from and how they changed the world as we know it today. I’d like to thank Chef Doug as he gave us some of his recipies specifically for this edition. I hope you learn something new about potatoes and even get to test out a new recipie. Stay tuned for more Vegetable Kitchen special editions next year.

See you next year

Abby Look

Contents 1

All About Potatoes & Cooking Tips

2

Dad’s Homemade Hashbrowns

3

Potatoes Power Performance

4

Portable Egg & Potato Mini Frittatas

5

How Potatoes Changed the World

6

Classic Baked Potato

7

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes

12

Dad’s Mashed Potatoes

15

Health Benefits and Downsides of Potatoes

16

Healthy Breakfast Potatoes

17

Potato Fun Facts

18

Homemade French Fries

All About Potatoes and cooking tips All About Potatoes There are more than 200 varieties of potatoes sold throughout the United States. Each of these varieties fit into one of seven potato type categories: russet, red, white, yellow, blue/ purple, fingerling, and petite. Potatoes can be used to fuel the body and the brain throughout the day. Easy to prepare and pair with a variety of cuisines, potatoes lend themselves to convenient meal prep to fuel you throughout the week. They can be whipped together with a few healthy ingredients and ready to serve under 30 minutes for a delicious meal.

Russet Potatoes Russets are ideal for light and fluffy mashed potatoes. They also fry up crisp and golden brown, and are the potato of choice for baking.

The delicate flavor and fluffy texture of baked russets goes well with a variety of toppings, from traditional sour cream and chives to spicy and bold Mediterranean or Latin flavors. Try cutting into planks or wedges to make delicious homemade fries.

Red Potatoes Because of their waxy texture, the flesh of red potatoes stays firm throughout the cooking process. Their thin yet vibrant red skin adds appealing color and texture to side dishes or salads. Reds are frequently used to make potato salad or add pizazz to soups and stews, but can also be served baked or mashed. Round reds are often referred to as “new potatoes,” but the term “new” technically refers to any type of potato that is harvested before reaching maturity.

1

White Potatoes White potatoes hold their shape well after cooking.

Their delicate, thin skins add just the right amount of texture to a velvety mashed potato dish without the need for peeling. Grilling whites brings out a more full-bodied flavor. Try adding potatoes to your salad by tossing cooked white potatoes into your Caesar or a creamy garlic Parmesan dressing.

Yellow Potatoes Grilling gives yellow potatoes a crispy skin that enhances the dense flesh, creating a slightly sweet, caramelized flavor. The naturally smooth buttery texture makes delicious baked, roasted, or mashed potatoes. Simmer yellow potatoes until fully cooked, drain, chill, and gently “smash” into flat disks. Brown these in oil or clarified butter and serve as a side or appetizer.

Then top with a garnish of your choice.

Purple Potatoes Most blue/purple potatoes have moist, firm flesh that retains its shape while adding rich, vibrant color and luscious taste to salads. The purple color is preserved best by microwaving but steaming and baking are also great ways to cook purple potatoes. Because of their mild yet distinctly nutty flavor, blue/purple potatoes naturally complement green salad flavors. Red, White, and Blues—Combine blue potatoes with whites and reds in salads or roasted medleys to make all three colors “pop”.

Fingerling Potatoes Fingerling color and shape are a welcome visual addition to any dish. Pan-frying and roasting enhances their robust flavor and showcases their wonderful nutty or buttery tastes. Consider fingerlings as a change-of-pace foundation for a unique potato salad. Split fingerlings lengthwise and oven-roast to serve as a small-plate or side-dish alternative to fries.

Accompany them with a flavorful dipping sauce, like spicy ketchup, romesco, or sriracha mayo.

Petite Potatoes Roast a combination of colors for an eye-catching side dish. Petites concentrated flavors and quicker cooking time makes them a good choice for potato salads. You can also toss petite potatoes in olive oil, rosemary, and salt and pepper to make colorful, delicious, and fun roasted potatoes. Petites save on prep time because they can be prepared and served whole without slicing or chopping.

Instant Potatoes Instant (or dehydrated) potatoes deliver all the flavor, versatility and nutrition of real, fresh potatoes because they are real potatoes, minus the water. Whole potatoes are actually put through an advanced process to create premium dehydrated/instant potato products. Thanks to the careful processing techniques used, instant potato products retain most of their nutrition.

Dad’s Homemade Hashbrowns Potato Chips A chef by the name of George Crum created the potato chip in a petty way to appease a particularly picky guest, Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had sent his fried potatoes back for being too thick. Crum sliced them thin and fried them to a crisp out of spite. Rather than be offended by the jab, Vanderbilt was delighted. Soon after, other guests began requesting to try the thinly sliced fried potatoes. Before long, each patron was served a complimentary basket of potato chips with the meal.

Frozen Potatoes Did you know, the U.S. potato industry has long pioneered state-of-the-art technologies that instantly quick-freeze potatoes to lock in fresh flavor and nutrition? As you walk down the frozen aisle of any grocery story and you’ll find many different frozen potato options, from wedges, shreds, hash browns and tots to slices, dices, crinkle cut and waffle fries. These products are instantly quick frozen to lock in the taste and nutrients of fresh potatoes and maintain a longer shelf life. Baking frozen potatoes is a great time-saving option for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack.

potatogoodness.com Potatoes USA

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Serves 2-3 people Ingredients • • • •

Vegetable oil 4-5 Russet or yellow potatoes Salt Seasoning

Preparation 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Turn on your griddle and heat to 350F Peel 5 potatoes and use a cheese grater to slice into thin strips Pour oil onto the griddle and begin to place potato strips on it Add your favorite seasoning while potatoes are cooking Cook between 5-10 minutes while flipping hashbrowns occasionally until desired crispiness Remove hashbrowns from griddle to a plate and top with salt and other seasoning as needed. Add your favorite sauce and serve

Photo: Abby Look

2

Potatoes Power Performance Potatoes are a nutrient-dense vegetable that provide the energy, potassium, and vitamin C you need to perform your best. Potatoes are a real food with surprising performance-related benefits. Whether you lead an active lifestyle or compete with elite athletes, potatoes help fuel you.

Here’s how: ~26g (9% daily value) of quality carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for the body and brain. ~Good source of potassium. Potatoes contain 620mg (15% daily value) of potassium which is more potassium than a banana. Potassium is essential for muscle functioning. ~Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, providing 30% of the daily value. Vitamin C helps boost the immune system and aids in collagen production, a major muscle tissue component. ~Potatoes have 3 grams of plant-based protein. Protein is a key component of muscle and an important nutrient for performance. ~Potatoes have 2 grams of fiber (7% daily value). Fiber helps regulate blood glucose and increases satiety, making you feel full longer. ~110 Calories for Energy: Easily digestible and more energy-dense than any other popular vegetable.

Need more reasons to fuel with potatoes? ~A medium 5.3 oz skin-on potato has 0.2 mg of vitamin B6 per serving, 10% of the daily value, and is considered a good source. Vitamin B6 plays an important role in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. ~The same medium potato has 1.1 mg of iron (6% daily value), and iron is the mineral involved in making proteins that carry oxygen to all parts of the body.

-Fat Free -Sodium Free -Cholesterol Free -Gluten Free -Vegan

potatogoodness.com Potatoes USA

3

Photo: Abby Look

Portable Egg & Potato Mini Frittatas Prep Time: 20 minutes

Preparation

Cook Time: 25 minutes

1.

Preheat oven to 400°F and coat 12 muffin cups liberally with nonstick cooking spray.

Serves 4 people 2.

Place potatoes, onion and bell pepper in a micro-

Ingredients

wave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and poke

•

Nonstick cooking spray

a small hole to vent. Microwave on HIGH for 10

•

1 lbs medium-size red and yellow potatoes, cut into

minutes or until potatoes are tender. Place equal

1/4 inch cubes

amounts in muffin cups.

3.

Whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk and season-

•

3/4 cup chopped onion

•

1/2 cup 1/4-inch diced red bell pepper

ings in a large measuring cup; pour equal amounts

•

4 eggs

into each muffin cup and top with crushed crou-

•

2 egg whites

tons.

•

1/4 cup 2% milk

•

3/4 teaspoon salt

and lightly browned. Let cool slightly, then loosen

•

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

from muffin cups with a butter knife or other small

•

1/4 teaspoon pepper

knife.

•

1/4 cup finely crushed seasoned croutons

4.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until eggs are puffed

potatogoodness.com

Photo: Abby Look

4

How Potatoes Changed A brief history of how potatoes changed the world by Charles C. Mann When potato plants bloom, they send up five-lobed flowers that spangle fields like fat purple stars.

By some accounts, Marie Antoinette liked the blossoms so much that she put them in her hair. Her husband, Louis XVI, put one in his buttonhole, inspiring a brief vogue in which the French aristocracy swanned around with potato plants on their clothes. The flowers were part of an attempt to persuade French farmers to plant and French diners to eat this strange new species.

Today the potato is the fifth most important crop worldwide, after wheat, corn, rice, and sugarcane.

But in the 18th century the tuber was a startling novelty, frightening to some, bewildering to others—part of a global ecological convulsion set off by Christopher Columbus.

5

About 250 million years ago, the world consisted of a single giant landmass now known as Pangaea.

Geological forces broke Pangaea apart, creating the continents and hemispheres familiar today. Over the eons, the separate corners of the earth developed wildly different suites of plants and animals.

Columbus’ voyages reknit the seams of Pangaea, to borrow a phrase from Alfred W. Crosby, the historian who first described this process. In what Crosby called the

Columbian Exchange, the world’s long-separate ecosystems abruptly collided and mixed in a biological bedlam that underlies much of the history we learn in school.

The potato flower in Louis XVI’s buttonhole, a species that had crossed the Atlantic from Peru, was both an emblem of the Columbian Exchange and one of its most important aspects.

Compared with grains, tubers are inherently more productive. If the head of a wheat or rice plant grows too big, the plant will fall over, with fatal results. Growing underground, tubers are not limited by the rest of the plant. In 2008 a Lebanese farmer dug up a potato that weighed nearly 25 pounds. It was bigger than his head.

Many researchers believe that the potato’s arrival in northern Europe spelled an end to famine there.

(Corn, another American crop, played a similar but smaller role in southern Europe.) More than that, as the historian William H. McNeill has argued, the potato led to empire: “By feeding rapidly growing populations, [it] permitted a handful of European nations to assert dominion over most of the world between 1750 and 1950.” The potato, in other words, fueled the rise of the West.

Equally important, the European

d the World Classic Baked Potato Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 55 minutes Serves 4 people (One potato per person) Ingredients • 4 Large Russet potatoes • 2 tablespoons Kosher Salt or Large Grain Sea Salt • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 1/2 cup warm water Preparation 1. Adjust oven rack to center and preheat oven to 450F. As the oven preheats, rinse potatoes under cold water to remove any excess dirt. Dry and pierce lightly with a pairing knife 6-8 times.

2. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in 1/2 cup warm water. Place potatoes into salt water and rub the outside to help evenly coat with salt water. Transfer potatoes to a wire rack.

3. Place wire rack with potatoes onto the baking sheet and back in the oven for 45-55 minutes.

4. Remove potatoes from the oven. Slice with a pairing knife down the length of the potato without cutting through it. Use a towel to gently squeeze the sides inward to fluff.

5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garnish with toppings of your choice. potatogoodness.com Photo: Abby Look

6

Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes Serves 12 people (6 oz portions) Ingredients •

2 1/2 lbs white potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick

•

5 cups water

•

2 tablespoons butter

•

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

•

3 cups half and half

•

16 ounces cream cheese

•

1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

•

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

•

1 tablespoon kosher salt

•

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

•

1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese

Preparation 1.

Peel the potatoes and slice thin. Cook the potatoes in a pot of cold water and cook them over medium-high heat until they are just about fork-tender, about 18 minutes.

2.

In the meantime, lightly spray or oil a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

Drain the potatoes discarding the water

3.

In a medium pot over medium heat combine the flour and butter and cook for a 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the half and half slowly and continue to cook the mixture until it is thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream cheese, thyme, and Parmesan. Adjust the seasoning using salt and pepper. Carefully stir the cooked sliced potatoes in the cheese sauce.

4.

Transfer the potatoes in the cheese sauce to the prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the shredded Monterey jack cheese on the top and place the potatoes in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 350F or until the top is golden and the cheese is melted. Allow the dish to cool a few minutes before serving. potatogoodness.com

Photo: Abby Look

7

Continued How Potatoes Changed the World A brief history of how potatoes changed the world by Charles C. Mann

and North American adoption of the potato set the template for modern agriculture—the so-called agro-industrial complex. Not only did the Columbian Exchange carry the potato across the Atlantic, it also brought the world’s first intensive fertilizer: Peruvian guano. And when potatoes fell to the attack of another import, the Colorado potato beetle, panicked farmers turned to the first artificial pesticide: a form of arsenic. Competition to produce ever-more-potent arsenic blends launched the modern pesticide industry. In the 1940s and 1950s, improved crops, high-intensity fertilizers and chemical pesticides created the Green Revolution, the explosion of agricultural productivity that transformed farms from Illinois to Indonesia—and set off a political argument about the food supply that grows more intense by the day.

naturalist Gaspard Bauhin awarded it the name Solanum tuberosumesculentum (later simplified to Solanum tuberosum).

Unlike any previous European crop, potatoes are grown not from seed but from little chunks of tuber—the misnamed “seed potatoes.”

Continental farmers regarded this alien food with fascinated suspicion; some believed it an aphrodisiac, others a cause of fever or leprosy. The philosopher-critic Denis Diderot took a middle stance in his Encyclopedia (1751-65),Europe’s first general compendium of Enlightenment thought. “No matter how you prepare it, the root is tasteless and starchy,” he wrote. “It cannot be regarded as an enjoyable food, but it provides abundant, reasonably healthy food for men who want nothing but sustenance. ”Diderot viewed the potato as The first Spaniards in the region— “windy.” (It caused gas.) Still, he the band led by Francisco Pizarro, gave it the thumbs up. “What is who landed in 1532—noticed windiness,” he asked, “to the strong Indians eating these strange, round bodies of peasants and laborers?” objects and emulated them, often reluctantly. News of the new food With such halfhearted endorsespread rapidly. Within three dements, the potato spread slowly. cades, Spanish farmers as far away When Prussia was hit by famine as the Canary Islands were export- in 1744, King Frederick the Great, ing potatoes to France and the a potato enthusiast, had to order Netherlands (which were then part the peasantry to eat the tubers. of the Spanish empire). The first In England, 18th-century farmers scientific description of the potato denounced S. tuberosum as an appeared in 1596,when the Swiss advance scout for hated Roman

8

Continued How Potatoes Changed the World A brief history of how potatoes changed the world by Charles C. Mann

Catholicism. “No Potatoes, No Popery!” was an election slogan in1765. France was especially slow to adopt the spud. Into the fray stepped Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, the potato’s Johnny Appleseed.

Trained as a pharmacist, Parmentier served in the army during the Seven Years’ War and was captured by the Prussians—five times. During his multiple prison stints, he ate little but potatoes, a diet that kept him in good health.

His surprise at this outcome led Parmentier to become a pioneering nutritional chemist after the war ended, in 1763; he devoted the rest of his life to promulgating S. tuberosum.

9

wear potato blossoms; and planting40 acres of potatoes at the edge of Paris, knowing that famished commoners would steal them.

In exalting the potato, Parmentier unwittingly changed it. All of Europe’s potatoes descended from a few tubers sent across the ocean by curious Spaniards. When farmers plant pieces of tuber, rather than seeds, the resultant sprouts are clones. By urging potato cultivation on a massive scale, Parmentier was unknowingly promoting the notion of planting huge areas with clones—a true monoculture.

regional famines between 1523 and 1623. The continent simply could not reliably feed itself.

The potato changed all that. Every year, many farmers left fallow as much as half of their grain land, to rest the soil and fight weeds (which were plowed under in summer).

Now small holders could grow potatoes on the fallow land, controlling weeds by hoeing. Because potatoes were so productive, the effective result, in terms of calories, was to double Europe’s food supply.

“For the first time in the history of western Europe, a definitive soluThe effects of this transformation tion had been found to the food were so striking that any generproblem,” the Belgian historian al history of Europe without an Christian Parmentier’s timing was good. After entry in its index for S. tuberosum Vandenbroeke concluded in the Louis XVI was crowned in 1775, he should be ignored. Hunger was 1970s. By the end of the 18th centulifted price controls on grain. Bread a familiar presence in 17th and ry, potatoes had become in much prices shot up, sparking what 18th-century Europe. Cities were of became known as the Flour War: provisioned reasonably well in Europe what they were in the Anmore than 300 civil disturbances most years, their granaries careful- des—a staple. Roughly 40 percent in 82 towns. Parmentier tirelessly ly monitored, but country people of the Irish ate no solid food other proclaimed that France would teetered on a precipice. France, the than potatoes; the figure was bestop fighting over bread if only historian Fernand Braudel once tween 10 percent and 30 percent in her citizens would eat potatoes. calculated, had 40 nationwide fam- the Netherlands, Belgium, PrusMeanwhile, he set up one publicity ines between 1500 and1800, more sia and perhaps Poland. Routine stunt after another: presenting an than one per decade. This appallfamine almost disappeared in all-potato dinner to high-society ing figure is an underestimate, he potato country, a 2,000-mile band guests (the story goes that Thomas wrote, “because it omits the that stretched from Ireland in the Jefferson, one of the guests, was so hundreds and hundreds of local west to Russia’s Ural Mountains in delighted he introduced French famines.” France was not excepthe east. At long last, the continent fries to America); supposedly tional; England had 17 national and could produce its own dinner. persuading the king and queen to big

Ad Space

10

Continued How Potatoes Changed the World A brief history of how potatoes changed the world by Charles C. Mann

In 1840, the organic chemist Justus von Liebig published a pioneering treatise that explained how plants depend on nitrogen. Along the way, he extolled guano as an excellent source of it. Sophisticated farmers, many of them big landowners, raced to buy the stuff. Their yields doubled, even tripled. Fertility in a bag! Prosperity that could be bought in a store!

Before the potato (and corn), before intensive fertilization, European living standards were roughly equivalent to those in Cameroon and Bangladesh today. On average, European peasants ate less per day than hunting-and-gathering societies in Africa or the Amazon. Industrial monoculture allowed billions of people—in Europe first, and then in much of the rest of the world— to escape poverty. The revolution begun by potatoes, corn, and guano has allowed living standards to double or triple worldwide even as human numbers climbed from fewer than one billion in 1700 to some seven billion today.

11

The name Phytophthora infestans means, more or less, “vexing plant destroyer.” P. infestans is an oomycete, one of 700 or so species sometimes known as water molds. It sends out tiny bags of 6 to 12 spores that are carried on the

wind, usually for no more than 20 feet, occasionally for half a mile or more. When the bag lands on a susceptible plant, it breaks open, releasing what are technically known as zoospores. If the day is warm and wet enough, the zoospores germinate, sending threadlike filaments into the leaf. The first obvious symptoms—purple-black or purple-brown spots on the leaves—are visible in about five days. By then it is often too late for the plant to survive.

P. infestans preys on species in the nightshade family, especially potatoes and tomatoes. Scientists believe that it originated in Peru.

Large-scale traffic between Peru and northern Europe began with the guano rush. Proof will never be found, but it is widely believed that the guano ships carried P. infestans. Probably taken to Antwerp, P. infestans first broke out in early summer 1845, in the West Flanders town of Kortrijk, six miles from the French border.

The blight hopscotched to Paris by that August. Weeks later, it was destroying potatoes in the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and England. Governments panicked. It was reported in Ireland on September 13, 1845. Cormac O Grada, an economist and blight historian at University College, Dublin, has estimated that Irish farmers

Dad’s Mashed Potatoes Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45minutes Serves 6 people Ingredients •

2 1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes

•

Salt

•

1/2 stick salted butter

•

2-4 tablespoons of milk or whipping cream

Preparation 1.

Peel potatoes and cut them into chunks. Try to keep them looking equal size. Potato chunks should be around 2 in by 2in cubes.

2.

Place potato chunks in a pot of water. Add a few dashes of salt and bring to a low boil until potatoes are fork tender.

3.

Drain potatoes into strainer. Either place potatoes back into pot or into a separate bowl.

4.

Add butter, a few tablespoons of milk or whipping cream and begin to mash potatoes.

5.

Mash until desired thickness is met. Serve with main dish and enjoy.

Photo: Abby Look

12

Continued How Potatoes Changed the World A brief history of how potatoes changed the world by Charles C. Mann

planted about 2.1 million acres of potatoes that year. In two months P. infestans wiped out the equivalent of one-half to three-quarters of a million acres. The next year was worse, as was the year after that.

The attack did not wind down until 1852. A million or more Irish people died—one of the deadliest famines in history, in the percentage of population lost. A similar famine in the United States today would kill almost 40 million people.

Within a decade, two million more had fled Ireland, almost three-quarters of them to the United States. Many more would follow.

As late as the 1960s, Ireland’s population was half what it had been in 1840. Today the nation has the melancholy distinction of being the only country in Europe, and perhaps the world, to have fewer people within the same boundaries than it did more than 150 years ago.

13

Despite its ghastly outcome, P. infestans may be less important in the long run than another imported species: Leptinotarsa decemlineata, the Colorado potato beetle. Its name notwithstanding, this orange-and-black creature is not from Colorado. Nor did it have much interest in potatoes in its original habitat, in south-central Mexico; its diet centered on buffalo bur, a weedy, spiny, knee-high potato relative. Biologists believe

that buffalo bur was confined to Mexico until Spaniards, agents of the Columbian Exchange, carried horses and cows to the Americas.

Quickly realizing the usefulness of these animals, Indians stole as many as they could, sending them north for their families to ride and eat. Buffalo bur apparently came along, tangled in horse manes, cow tails and native saddlebags. The beetle followed. In the early 1860s it encountered the cultivated potato around the Missouri River and liked what it tasted.

For millennia the potato beetle had made do with the buffalo bur scattered through the Mexican hills. By comparison, an Iowa farm, its fields solid with potatoes, was an ocean of breakfast. Because growers planted just a few varieties of a single species, pests like the beetle and the blight had a narrower range of natural defenses to overcome. If they could adapt to potatoes in one place, they could jump from one identical food pool to the next—a task made easier than ever thanks to inventions like railroads, steamships, and refrigeration. Beetles spread in such numbers that by the time they reached the Atlantic Coast, their glittering orange bodies carpeted beaches and made railway tracks so slippery as to be impassable.

Desperate farmers tried everything

they could to rid themselves of the invaders. Eventually one man apparently threw some leftover green paint on his infested plants.

It worked. The emerald pigment in the paint was Paris green, made largely from arsenic and copper.

Developed in the late 18th century, it was common in paints, fabrics and wallpaper. Farmers diluted it with flour and dusted it on their potatoes or mixed it with water and sprayed.

To potato farmers, Paris green was a godsend. To chemists, it was something that could be tinkered with. If arsenic killed potato beetles, why not try it on other pests?

If Paris green worked, why not try other chemicals for other agricultural problems? In the mid-1880s a French researcher discovered that spraying a solution of copper sulfate and lime would kill P.infestans. Spraying potatoes with Paris green, then copper sulfate would take care of both the beetle and the blight. The modern pesticide industry had begun.

As early as 1912 beetles began showing signs of immunity to Paris green. Farmers didn’t notice, though, because the pesticide industry kept coming up with new arsenic compounds that kept killing potato beetles. By the 1940s growers on Long Island found they had to use ever-greater quantities

of the newest variant, calcium arsenate. After World War II an entirely new type of pesticide came into wide use: DDT. Farmers bought DDT and exulted as insects vanished from their fields. The celebration lasted about seven years. The beetle adapted. Potato growers demanded new chemicals.

The industry provided dieldrin.

It lasted about three years. By the mid-1980s, a new pesticide in the eastern United States was good for about a single planting.

In what critics call the “toxic treadmill,” potato farmers now treat their crops a dozen or more times a season with an ever-changing cavalcade of deadly substances.

Nonetheless, the pests keep coming back. Researchers were dismayed in the 1980s to discover that new types of P. infestans had found their way to Europe and America.

They were more virulent—and more resistant to metalaxyl, the chief current anti-blight treatment.

No good substitute has yet appeared.

Ad Space

https://www.smithsonianmag. com/history/how-the-potatochanged-the-world-108470605/

14

Health Benefits and downsides of potatoes Health Benefits You May Be More Regular One potato without skin offers a couple of grams of fiber, but eating the skin with the potato will add another gram of fiber, per the USDA. This can help you reach your recommended amount of fiber (25 to 38 grams per day), which can help you stay regular. In short, you may be less likely to be constipated when you eat potatoes with the skin and other fiber-containing foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains.

You May Have Better Blood Pressure Potatoes are abundant in potassium, says the National Institutes of Health, a mineral that supports your nerves, muscles, kidneys and heart.

Potassium also plays a key role in regulating blood pressure. One potato provides a good source of potassium.

Potential Downsides Potatoes May Cause Your Blood Sugar to Spike Cooked potatoes have a relatively high glycemic You May Feel Full Longer index, which means the food raises blood sugar The form of potatoes you eat could impact your more quickly than others. Depending on the satiety—this could be related to how potato potato variety and cooking method, potastarch changes structure after cooking, points toes’ glycemic index can range from 50 to 111, out a 2020 study in Nutrients. Specifically, boilaccording to 2022 research in Foods. (Russets ing potatoes creates slowly digestible and resis- are the highest.) Generally speaking, thanks to tant starches, per research in LWT in 2020. This the added fiber, whole potatoes with the skin ultimately delays digestion and carbohydrate and sliced potatoes with the skin have a lower absorption. Consequently, when your meals GI than plain mashed or diced potatoes. Earlier include potatoes, you may feel full and satisfied research published in 2010 in The FASEB Journal longer, according to 2018 research in Nutrients. also found that precooked, cooled and reheated Ultimately, you may be less likely to overeat or potatoes could have a lower glycemic load have the urge to snack shortly after your meal. than freshly cooked potatoes—it’s one strategy you may be able to use if you’re working on You May Improve Your Gut Health managing your blood sugar. How much your Whole potatoes contain resistant starch, which blood sugar increases after eating potatoes also gets fermented by bacteria in your colon. That depends on your portion size and other foods means that spuds are considered a prebiotic, in the meal. Combining potatoes with other so they feed the “good” bacteria in your gut, ac- high-fiber plant-based foods may help with cording to 2019 research in the American Journal better blood sugar control. If you are concerned of Potato Research. Eating whole potatoes and about how potatoes can spike your blood sugar, other food sources of prebiotics, such as garlic, choose a potato variety with a lower GI, such as helps maintain a healthy microbiome, improving red potatoes and Nicola potatoes, enjoy smaller digestion and supporting immune health. portions with your meals and include nonstarchy vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans or leafy greens in your meal.

Certain Cooking Methods May Increase Dangerous Compounds in Potatoes Acrylamide is a compound formed when natural sugars in potatoes and other plant-based foods interact with the amino acid asparagine under high heat. When you bake, roast and fry potatoes, there may be a higher chance of acrylamide forming, according to the Food and Drug Administration. (Frying causes the highest acrylamide formation.) Animal studies have suggested that acrylamide may be linked to cancer, but the FDA says that it’s unknown if acrylamide poses any health risk to people. Boiling and steaming potatoes, on the other hand, are less likely to lead to acrylamide formation. (You can decrease the formation of this compound by soaking raw potato slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes before high-heat cooking, says the FDA.) Eating foods with potentially higher levels of acrylamide, such as french fries and potato chips, in moderation is recommended.

Unripe Potatoes Could Be Toxic Exposing potatoes directly to sunlight can lead to their white flesh turning green and sprouts forming. This indicates the formation of solanine, a bitter chemical that can be toxic if consumed in large quantities, says the USDA. When you see green appearing in a potato, it is best to throw it away. To prevent solanine from forming, store potatoes in a cool, dry and dark environment, such as a basement, cellar, garage, kitchen drawer or cabinet or a paper bag. When stored between 45°F and 50°F, they can last up to two to three months. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/ 8044322/are-potatoes-good-for-you/

15

Healthy Breakfast Potatoes

Rachl Mansfield https://rachlmansfield.com/the-best-ever-healthy-breakfast-potatoes/ Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Serves 4 people Ingredients • • •

4 large Russet potatoes Olive oil or avocado oil Sea salt, black pepper, and spices of your choice

Preparation 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Preheat the oven to 425F Slice the potatoes in half width wise then again into quarters, then slice again into smaller pieces Heat a large cast iron skillet and toss the potatoes in a large bowl with the oil and spices and mix well.

Add the potatoes to the skillet and crisp over medium/high heat for about 6 minutes, flipping halfway through Use an oven mitt and add the skillet to the oven and back for about 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are extra crispy, flipping half way through again.

Serve while warm will your choice of sides.

Photo: Abby Look 16

Potato Fun Facts Vincent Van Gough painted four still-life paintings featuring potatoes.

Thank Thomas Jefferson next time you have french fries. He served them in the White House!

Potatoes didn’t arrive in Idaho until 1836.

During the gold rush, potatoes were highly valued. At a time when gold was more plentiful than nutrition sources, you might say that potatoes were worth their weight in gold!

Russet Burbank has been around since 1872!

In 1903, Parker Brothers had a game called “The Potato Race.”

The word potato comes from the Spanish word patata.

Potato is the 4th most important crop worldwide (but 1st in our book!)

The Irish Potato famine gave rise to the field of Plant Pathology!

35% of the potato crop is turned into french fries, 28% is used for fresh, and 13% goes to chips!

The Potato Museum in Washington DC contains 2000 potato artifacts.

On average, US residents consume 110 pounds of potatoes per year.

Europeans consume twice that much!

A potato has more potassium than a banana!

2008 was the U.N. International Year of the Potato.

August 13 is National Potato Day, don’t forget to celebrate!

https://www.montana.edu/extension/pspp/funspudfacts.html

Photo: Abby Look

17

Homemade French Fries Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Serves 2 people Ingredients • 4 large Russet potatoes (2 potatoes = 1 person) Preparation 1. Slice the potatoes 1/2 inch thick 2. Soak them in cold water for at least one hour or overnight. Longer soaking equals crispier fries 3. Rinse them twice with cold water and pat them completely dry 4. Heat oil to 300F. Fry them in about 6 batches for 5-6 minutes. Don’t overcrowd them by placing too many in at a time, they won’t be as crispy. Use a slotted spoon or tongs and place them on a paper towel.

5. Increase the heat to 400F. Fry in batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

6. Place them on paper towels and sprinkle immediately with salt. Serve with ketchup and enjoy https://thecozycook.com /homemade-french-fries/

Photo: Abby Look

18

Carrot Lovers Vegetable Kitchen ~ Special Edition

7 New

Recipes for the family How Carrots Changed the World

Font Types, Color Choices and Extra Rules LiebeRuth Regular Mr Eaves Mod OT Light Mr Eaves Mod OT Bold Lithos Pro Light Lithos Pro Regular Dax Compact Pro Black Kopius Regular Kopius Regular Italic Kopius Bold Kopius Light

• •

Each section (feature, brief, short article) will have its own color assigned and should be used throughout the magazine Photo captions and page numbers will be either black or white depending on what color the background color or photograph is

Page Grid

Fonts with Pages Page numbers - Lithos Light 15pt Photo credits - Kopius Light 10pt Cover Page Title - Kopius Bold 75pt Subtitle - Mr Eaves Light 30pt Circle 1 - Dax Compact Black 36pt / Kopius Regular 20pt Circle 2 - Mr Eaves Bold 20pt Letter from Editor Title - Lithos Regular 36pt Text - Mr Eaves Light 14pt Signature - Dreaming Outloud Script 27pt Table of Contents Title - Kopius Bold 36pt Text - Kopius Regular Italics 23pt Page Numbers - Lithos Light 20pt First Short Article Title - Lithos Regular 36pt Subtext - Kopius Regular Italics 10pt Text - Mr Eaves Light 10pt First Recipe (First Short) Title - Mr Eaves Light 30pt Subtext - Kopius Regular Italics 11pt Text - Kopius Light 10pt First Brief Article Title - Lithos Regular 36pt Text - Mr Eaves Light 11pt Second Recipe (First Brief) Title - Kopius Bold 11pt Subtext - Kopius Regular Italics 9pt Text - Kopius Light 9pt

Feature Article Title - LiebeRuth Regular 52pt Subtitle - LiebeRuth Regular 15pt Text - Kopius Light 10pt Continued Feature Article Title - LiebeRuth Regular 20pt Subtitle - LiebeRuth Regular 9pt Third Recipe (Feature Article) Title - Kopius Bold 11pt Subtext/Text - Kopius Light 10pt Fourth Recipe (Feature Article) Title - Kopius Bold 10pt Subtext/Text - Kopius Light 9pt Fifth Recipe (Feature Article) Title - Kopius Bold 10pt Subtext/Text - Kopius Light 9pt Second Short Article Title - Lithos Regular 36pt Subtitle 1 - Kopius Bold 10pt Subtitle 2 - Kopius Regular Italics 10pt Text - Mr Eaves Light 10pt Sixth Recipe (Second Short Article) Title - Mr Eaves Light 30pt Subtitle - Mr Eaves Light 15pt Subtext - Kopius Regular Italics 11pt Text - Kopius Light 10pt Second Brief Article Title - Lithos Regular 36pt Text - Mr Eaves Light 13pt Seventh Recipe (Second Brief Article) Title - Kopius Bold 11pt Subtext - Kopius Regular Italics 10pt Text - Kopius Light 10pt