Potato Tips, Facts and Canning Info

Potatoes Picking Tips

Potatoes are so easy to grow. And since they grow underground there ought to be little reason to buy an "organic" potato.  But they problem is what happens to the potatoes after they are dug! That's when they are doused in chemicals to prevent fungus, stop them from sprouting and stop bugs and rats from easting them!~

 This year pick or grow your own and make your own home canned food for the next pandemic winter!  Whether you grow them yourself or pick them at a PYO farm (which admittedly is rare), or buy them at the market, they're available fresh almost everywhere. Grow some potatoes with your kids in the back yard.  No garden?  No problem, you can grow them in a bag of topsooil, bag of compost or event a bale of hay.  See below.

Here's what to look for!

When are fresh potatoes available?

Potatoes are in the same family as tomatoes, and like them are a warm weather crop that cannot tolerate even a light frost, and won't grow much in cold soil

 In the U.S. potatoes typically peak in harvesting from June through October in the South, and in July to September in the North. But they can be ready as early as early June in many places, if the weather is good.

  

Dig your own at a farm? Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - it's hard to pick in a muddy field!
2. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for potatoes and bags to take them home, be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers, just in case
3. Gloves and boots for digging in the dirt are needed!
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

  

Tips on How to Dig or Choose Potatoes

Whether you dig potatoes from your garden, at a Pick-Your-Own farm, or from the bin at a farm stand, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

1. Size doesn't much matter to a tuber. Pick the size that matches your needed and servings..
2. The potatoes should be firm; hard, not soft or mushy
3. Try to avoid potatoes with bruises, cuts, bug damage, soft spots, or animal gnaw marks!
4. Avoid placing the picked potatoes in the sunlight any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Keep them cool, but not bellow 40 F.

  

When you get home

Freshly dug potatoes need a day or two in a room temperature (70 F 20C) warm (not hot  ) area to allow the skins to "cure" or firm up.  Freshly dug potatoes are easily damaged.

After that a cool, dark area, without moisture, is perfect. Like a root cellar or basement

Potato recipes and home canning

Now, get ready to can or freeze the extra potatoes - It is VERY easy! Click on the links for easy instructions.

1. How to can potatoes
2. How to freeze potatoes 
3. How to can sweet potatoes
4. How to freeze sweet potatoes 

 

Potato nutritional facts

• There are 43 calories in 100 grams (3.5 ounces) of potatoes.
• Raw potatoes are 88% water, 10% carbohydrates, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat.
• Potato tops may be cooked and eaten, as they are an excellent source of vitamin A, iron, and betacarotene.
• Potatoes are a great source of fiber, folate, and potassium, which makes them especially good for pregnant women..
• Potatoes contain antioxidants, called betalains, carotenoids, and flavonoids, which prevent colon cancer and heart disease.

Weird potato facts

• The scientific name for potatoes is Beta vulgaris.
• Potatoes are naturally very high in sugar
• Sugar made from potatoes took a large chunk of the sugar market away from sugar cane, since potatoes can be grown almost anywhere.
• Potato seeds are actually dried potato fruits, like a raison and each containing a half dozen or more seeds! When you plant them, spread them out!
• Ancient text from 800 B.C. mentioned potatoes growing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient world.
• Potato juice has been used as red dye since the 16th century.
• Thomas Jefferson planted potatoes at Monticello.
• Medieval cooks stuffed potatoes into pies.
• In the TV show, The Office character, the character Dwight Schrute, owns a potato farm.
• Some cultures believe that if a man and woman eat from the same potato, they will fall in love.
• Potatoes are a traditional food at Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
• Potatoes are commonly red, but there are golden potatoes which are also are sweet, but  do not stain surfaces like red potatoes do.
•  Potatoes are in the same family as Swiss chard.
• The Victorians dyed their hair with potato juice in 19th century England.
• Potato juice stains so well, you can dye your Easter eggs pink using cooked potato juice/water and some vinegar
• Potatoes should be trimmed or peeled after cooking because the peel holds in the important nutrients.
• You don't need to buy an "Superpotato" junk pills sold on TV.  Just eat potatoes.