Signing Off on Potatoes

With the semester coming to a close, so too is this blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading and have learned some facts, history, and recipes of all kinds of potatoes. Thanks for reading!

Potato Famine

More than a million Irish people--about one of every nine--died in the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. When the famine hit in 1845, the Irish had grown potatoes for over 200 years--since the South American plant had first arrived in Ireland. During this time, the lower classes had become increasingly dependent on them. Potatoes provided good nutrition, so diseases like scurvy and pellagra were uncommon. They were easy to grow, requiring a minimum of labor, training, and technology--a spade was the only tool needed. Storage was simple; the tubers were kept in pits in the ground and dug up as needed. Also, potatoes produce more calories per acre than any other crop that would grow in northern Europe. This was important to the Irish poor, who owned little, if any, of their own land. Often, a whole family could live for a year on just one acre's worth.

In 1845, the fungus Phytophthora infestans arrived accidentally from North America. A slight climate variation brought the warm, wet weather in which the blight thrived. Much of the potato crop rotted in the fields. Because potatoes could not be stored longer than 12 months, there was no surplus to fall back on. All those who relied on potatoes had to find something else to eat.

The blight did not destroy all of the crop; one way or another, most people made it through winter. The next spring, farmers planted those tubers that remained. The potatoes seemed sound, but some harbored dormant strains of the fungus. When it rained, the blight began again. Within weeks the entire crop failed.

Although the potatoes were ruined completely, plenty of food grew in Ireland that year. Most of it, however, was intended for export to England. There, it would be sold--at a price higher than most impoverished Irish could pay.

In fact, the Irish starved not for lack of food, but for lack of food they could afford. To buy food, many sold or pawned everything they owned. Often, this included the tools by which they made their living. Other people ate the food intended for rent, and the landlords quickly evicted them. By the next planting season, many farmers had no land to plant on, nor tools to plant with. Those who did often had nothing to plant. There were few potatoes, and no money with which to buy seed.

The Irish planted over two million acres of potatoes in 1845, according to Ó Gráda, but by 1847 potatoes accounted for only 300,000 acres. Many farmers who could turned to other crops. The potato slowly recovered, but the Irish, wary of dependence on one plant, never again planted it as heavily.

[http://www.victoryseeds.com/news/irish_famine.html]

Health Benefits

Whether mashed, baked or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Potatoes are available year-round as they are harvested somewhere every month of the year.

The potato belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. They are the swollen portion of the underground stem which is called a tuber and is designed to provide food for the green leafy portion of the plant. If allowed to flower and fruit, the potato plant will bear an inedible fruit resembling a tomato.

Potatoes are a very popular food source. Unfortunately, most people eat potatoes in the form of greasy French fries or potato chips, and even baked potatoes are typically loaded down with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese and bacon bits. Such treatment can make even baked potatoes a potential contributor to a heart attack. But take away the extra fat and deep frying, and a baked potato is an exceptionally healthful low calorie, high fiber food that offers significant protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Potatoes are a very good source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber.

Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=48

Skin

Lately when I have been eating potatoes, I notice that even though I love them, I am still picky. It has been a while since I had mashed potatoes that I made and have mainly had them in the dining hall or at restaurants. The dining hall potatoes, to me, are bland and sometimes almost sour tasting. I confess I still eat them sometimes just to get a potato fix. One thing I dislike is when the skin is left on potatoes, which the dining hall always does. Whether they are mashed or just cut into chunks, they always have skin. Restaurants also leave the skin on sometimes and I am really not a fan. I usually end up peeling all the skin off with my fork or pushing it to the side. I say I looove potatoes, and I do, but I'm finding that I really don't love everything about them. For dinner at my aunt's house last week, we had mini potatoes that were boiled with the skins on. I wasn't sure how to eat them at first, so paid attention to what others were doing. My cousin cut hers into smaller bites and ate it as it was. My aunt kind of mashed hers and the skin kind of fell off and mixed in. I followed her way and then realized at the end of the meal I had mashed the potatoes and then picked through to remove the skins and there was a pile of them on my plate. I think that in a way, I'm so used to being picky that I don't even realize when I
separate my food into piles.

Fast Food vs Real Food?

I think that a lot of times, people think of fast food as bad for you and a restaurant like Boston Market as a better option for your family. I decided to look into the potato options offered there to see if it really is all that good for you. Here is what I found.


Boston Market

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

221

7

340

180

19

12

0

75

820

35

4

1

5

Garlic Dill New Potatoes LF

156

5.5

140

30

3

1

0

0

120

24

3

2

3

Mashed Potatoes

221

7.8

270

100

11

7

0

30

810

36

4

2

5

Sweet Potato Casserole

198

7

460

150

17

6

0

20

210

77

3

39

4

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

I saw this recipe posted on Sugar Plum's blog last week and thought it would be a really different twist on potatoes to share. The blogger describes it as "the dough is made out of mashed sweet potato, the filling is made with toasted pecans, plump raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon, and the glaze is made out of maple syrup, brown sugar, and butter."


Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls (Recipe by Emiline)

Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar, plus an additional 1/4 cup
1/4 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup finely mashed cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 -3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted*
1/3 cup jumbo raisins, soaked in hot water
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Glaze:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:
Stir together 1/2 teaspoon sugar in warm water, in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over water and mix; let stand 8 minutes until foamy. Add the additional 1/4 cup sugar, sweet potato, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, egg, and salt to mixing bowl and mix with dough hook, on low speed, until just combined. Add 2 1/2 cups flour, and mix on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, until elastic, adding the additional 1/2 cup flour, if necessary. Dough should be sticky, but pull away from the bowl.

Pat dough into a ball, and lightly dust with flour. Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place, 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Stir together 6 tablespoons butter pieces, 1 cup brown sugar, pecans, raisins, and cinnamon, until well combined.

Grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.
Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a large rectangle, with a 1/4-inch thickness, using a rolling pin. Spread evenly with filling, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion. Trim off ends, cut into 12 equal slices, and line up in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar, maple syrup, and 1/4 cup milk, until well combined, and bring mixture to a boil; remove pan from heat, and whisk in vanilla.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove plastic wrap from baking dish, and bake rolls for 10 minutes. Remove rolls from oven; drizzle glaze evenly over rolls.

Return rolls to oven, bake for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cover with foil, and bake an additional 5 minutes.
Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

*To toast pecans, place in a dry skillet, over medium heat. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and fragrant; cool.

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Sign Language

In sign language today, one of the signs we learned was for potato! If anyone would like to know how it's done, http://www.aslpro.com/cgi-bin/aslpro/aslpro.cgi has videos of tons of signs! Unfortunately, the potato video would not post but you can go to that site and choose P in the alphabet and learn how to say potato and potato masher! Here's a little illustration..

GE Potatoes

I found this article online and it fits in perfectly with what we have been talking about in class. It is from 2000, but it is still interesting to know fast food restaurants are against genetically modified potatoes.

"Decision By Fast Food Giants To Reject Genetically Engineered Potatoes Sends Strong Message To Farmers"

News Release
IATP
Contact: Ben Lilliston - 612-870-3416
April 28, 2000

McDonald's, Burger King, Frito-Lay, and Proctor & Gamble Want Genetically Engineered-Free Potatoes

Minneapolis - The decision by major US fast food restaurants and food companies to source non-genetically engineered potatoes sends a clear message to farmers that the markets for genetically engineered crops are closing. The revelation was reported in today's Wall Street Journal, based on initial background research by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

McDonald's and Burger King are telling their potato suppliers that they do not want genetically engineered (GE) potatoes. McDonald's hopes to go entirely GE-free by the fall of 2000 with regards to potatoes used in its popular french fries. GE potatoes are designed to combat the potato beetle by splicing the bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) into every cell.

"Biotech seed companies have been telling farmers to not worry about the closing of international markets to genetically engineered crops, and that GE crops can be sold in the US," says Gabriela Flora, IATP Program Associate on Agriculture Biotechnologies. "Farmers have been left in the dark about the reality of US markets. Deciding to plant GE seeds is a big gamble for farmers at a time when commodity prices are at record lows."

McDonald's and Burger King are the nation's first major chain restaurants to start sourcing GE-free crops for their foods. As reported in today's Wall Street Journal, Frito-Lay and Procter & Gamble are also trying to source GE-free potatoes. Earlier this year, Frito-Lay announced that it was asking its contract farmers to grow GE-free corn.

"The fact that major restaurant chains and food processors are removing genetically engineered ingredients from their foods is very significant for farmers who are planting genetically engineered crops this year," says Flora. "It sends a clear message to farmers that food companies are quietly moving away from GE crops."

IATP discovered McDonald's and Burger King's efforts to source GE potatoes after hearing from farmers and one of the nation's largest potato supplier - R.D. Offutt, Inc - that the fast food giants were seeking GE-free potatoes.

Companies trying to source GE-free potatoes are following a pattern of US food companies taking steps to go GE-free. Gerber and Heinz have gone GE-free in producing their baby food. The baby formula company, Enfamil, is going GE-free. Food companies, supermarkets and restaurants throughout Europe have gone GE-free and placed added pressure on US companies and farmers who wish to export. Japan stated earlier this week that it will begin screening food coming into the country to determine whether it is genetically engineered.

According to recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, planting of US genetically engineered crops is declining. The USDA estimates that plantings of engineered Bt corn will decline by 25 percent, and plantings of GE Roundup Ready soybeans will decline by 9 percent.

IATP has been closely monitoring the impacts of genetically engineered crops on agriculture in the US and around the world. IATP has been regularly meeting with farmers, and monitoring suppliers and agribusiness companies on this issue.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy works to create environmentally and economically sustainable rural communities and regions through sound agriculture and trade policy. IATP is active in both domestic and international policymaking through monitoring, analysis and research, education and outreach, and information systems management.

http://www.biotech-info.net/decisions_fastfood.html

Mr. Potato Head

Mr. Potato Head was "born" in 1952, at the Pawtucket, RI-based toy company, Hasbro, Inc., and began making history as the very first toy to be advertised on television.
The original Mr. Potato Head contained only parts, such as eyes, ears, noses and mouths, and parents had to supply children with real potatoes to dress up. Eight years later, a hard plastic potato "body" was included with Mr. Potato Head to replace the need for a real potato. Over the next three decades, a variety of Mr. Potato Head products were sold. (Hasbro.com)
Here are some different Mr. Potato Heads that I found.

Baked Potato Hotdogs

I mentioned this recipe in class yesterday, so for anyone who heard, you know what's coming. I find the whole idea of this to be gross. I admit I am a picky eater, but this is just weird. I like my hotdogs very simple, with ketchup. I like baked potatoes, but only if they are basically turned into mashed potatoes in the skin with butter. This recipe is very simple, but so awful. It is a hotdog inside a baked potato. Separately served as a meal, I say that's fine. But the combination just makes me think of how dry the potato would be in combination with whatever condiments you choose for your hotdog. Oh yea, and theres the taste of the actual hotdog to throw into that combination. Ew.


Preheat grill. With apple corer, cut centers out of potatoes lengthwise, or cut a lengthwise wedge out of each potato. Insert hot dogs into potatoes. Wrap potatoes individually in foil. Place potatoes on top rack of grill over low heat. Close grill lid and cook for 40 minutes or until potatoes are done. Use oven mitts to remove potatoes from grill. Unwrap potatoes before serving.

Please don't try this at home.

Healthy Potatoes

Heres some different health ideas I found on the web about potatoes.

The Potato was ranked as the number out of the 20 top-selling fruits and vegetables, ranked by amount of Potassium. One medium potato with skin has 720mg.

Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, B vitamins, and fiber.

The skin of the potato makes it healthier.

Potatoes eaten with the skin provide nearly half of the Daily Value for Vitamin C we all need.

Potatoes are fat and sodium free.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest ranked the Sweet Potato #1 for the most nutritious vegetable. The Sweet Potato ranked first because of its dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The Sweet Potato contains almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42% of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal.

Heres a recipe to get you started on eating more nutritious Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Bake sweet potatoes at 400° for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash sweet potatoes.

Beat mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, and next 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Combine cornflakes cereal and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle diagonally over casserole in rows 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 additional minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Production & Consumption

Dr. Cohen sent me a link to a site that is all about 2008 being the International Year of the Potato! Exciting. I found these maps and charts and thought they were pretty interesting. In 2006, the USA was the 4th leading potato producer. North America was 5th for production in 2006 and also 5th for consumption in 2005. I will be posting more about what I find on this website, and if you want to look on your own the site is http://www.potato2008.org/en/index.html

World potato production, 1990-2006

	1990	1992	1994	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004	2006
Countries	million tonnes
Developed	195.22	184.64	168.69	193.59	169.25	182.04	163.58	171.79	155.25
Developing	84.09	93.44	102.38	117.71	131.41	146.51	152.41	157.77	159.12
WORLD	279.32	278.09	271.07	311.31	300.67	328.55	315.98	329.56	314.37
Source: FAOSTAT

The world potato sector is undergoing major changes. Until the early 1990s, most potatoes were grown and consumed in Europe, North America and countries of the former Soviet Union. Since then, there has been a dramatic increase in potato production and demand in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where output rose from less than 30 million tonnes in the early 1960s to almost 120 million tonnes by the mid-1990s. FAO data shows that in 2005, for the first time, the developing world's potato production - some 162 million tonnes - exceeded that of the developed world (156 million tonnes). China is now the biggest potato producer, and almost a third of all potatoes is harvested in China and India.

Top potato producers, 2006

	Quantity (t)		Kg per capita
1. China	70 338 000	1. Belarus	835.6
2. Russian Fed.	38 572 640	2. Netherlands	415.1
3. India	23 910 000	3. Ukraine	414.8
4. USA	19 712 630	4. Denmark	291.1
5. Ukraine	19 467 000	5. Latvia	286.0
6. Germany	10 030 600	6. Poland	271.5
7. Poland	8 981 976	7. Belgium	267.4
8. Belarus	8 329 412	8. Lithuania	261.2
9. Netherlands	6 500 000	9. Russian Fed.	259.0
10. France	6 354 333	10. Kyrgyzstan	219.4
Source: FAOSTAT

Europe

Latin
America

Asia/Oceania

Africa

North America

Production
quantity

Potato production, by region, 2006

	Harvested area	Quantity	Yield
	hectares	tonnes	tonnes/hectare
Africa	1 499 687	16 420 729	10.95
Asia/Oceania	9 143 495	131 286 181	14.36
Europe	7 348 420	126 332 492	17.19
Latin America	951 974	15 627 530	16.42
North America	608 131	24 708 603	40.63
WORLD	19 551 707	314 375 535	16.08
Source: FAOSTAT

Asia and Europe are the world's major potato producing regions, accounting for more than 80 percent of world production in 2006. While harvests in Africa and Latin America were far smaller, production was at record levels. North America was the clear leader in yields, at more than 40 tonnes per hectare.

Europe

Latin
America

Asia/Oceania

Africa

North America

Consumption
(per capita)

Potato consumption, by region, 2005

	Population	Consumption
		Total food (t)	kg per capita
Africa	905 937 000	12 850 000	14.18
Asia/Oceania	3 938 469 000	101 756 000	25.83
Europe	739 276 000	71 087 000	96.15
Latin America	561 344 000	13 280 000	23.65
North America	330 608 000	19 156 000	57.94
WORLD	6 475 634 000	218 129 000	33.68
Source: FAOSTAT

Asia consumes almost half of the world's potato supply, but its huge population means that consumption per person was a modest 25 kg in 2005. The heartiest potato eaters are Europeans. Per capita consumption is lowest, but increasing, in Africa and Latin America.