Background Agricultural Connections
There are two general groups of potatoes—Irish potatoes and sweet potatoes:
- The Irish potato is one name for what we typically call a potato. It comes in many varieties, sizes, and colors.
- Sweet potatoes are a distinctly different food. We sometimes call sweet potatoes "yams," but this word is better used for another food commonly grown in other parts of the world.
For both of these types of potatoes, we thank the Native peoples of the Americas. The Irish potato was made popular in the US by immigrants from Ireland. However, it was originally grown in the highlands of the Andes. The sweet potato was first cultivated in Central America.
The potato is not a root but a storage area that is part of the plant's underground stem. Vigorous potato plants that have plenty of sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil produce more energy than the growing plant can use at one time. The plant stores the excess energy in oval packages, called tubers (the potatoes). These tubers provide the plant energy to regrow in the spring. When the greenery starts to wither and turn brown, the potatoes are ready to harvest.
After they are harvested, potatoes can be stored for 2-3 months and will remain in a dormant state if kept in a cool, dark location. When moved to a warmer place, the potatoes will begin to sprout in one to three weeks. Sprouts grow from the eyes of the potato, which are actually nodes on this enlarged, underground stem. Each node is capable of developing into a branch that can grow up through the soil and emerge into a green, leafy shoot. As the branches grow, they use up the energy from the original seed potato, which will shrink and shrivel as its starch is consumed. Soon the branches of the plant will grow bushy and have many new leaves that all produce energy through photosynthesis. At this point, new potatoes will begin to form on the underground sections of the branches that grew upward from the seed potato.
Potatoes produce more pounds of protein per acre than corn, rice, wheat, or oats. They are packed with nutrients, low in fat, generous in bulk, and efficiently packaged in their own skins. They can be prepared in many different ways and are delicious.
