Day 8: Starch

A daily post of potato trivia introducing a potato variety a day.

Starch is a type of carbohydrate. Its molecules are made up of large numbers of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

Starch has many uses, food companies use starch to thicken processed foods, and to make sweeteners.

Other uses include the construction industry where starch is used in gypsum wallboard manufacturing ,the manufacture of adhesives and in paper manufacturing to increase the strength of paper.

Most plants, including rice, potatoes and wheat, store their energy as starch.

Starch extracted from potatoes is a gluten-free starch powder.

Starch obtained from potatoes is generally used to thicken broth, soup, any sauce or gravy and is much preferred instead of cornstarch due to its high boiling point.

To extract the starch, the potatoes are crushed, and the starch grains are released from the destroyed cells.

The starch is then washed out and dried to powder.

Today’s variety - International Kidney (Early)

An English variety bred in 1879 that is famous for it’s flavour.

This variety is sold early in the season by Jersey growers under the trademark ‘Jersey Royal’, the potatoes can only be called Jersey Royals if they have been grown on the Island of Jersey

Tubers are kidney shaped with shallow eyes and white flesh and skin.

If picked prematurely it is a small firm, waxy potato.

When left to mature it is a large kidney.

Excellent boiled or as a salad potato.

About my January Potato Journey

I am trying to build up my horticulture knowledge, all views are my own and are intended to be in a positive spirit.

I am a member of Nottingham Organic Gardeners (NOGs)

The daily posts are hoped to feature varieties which are likely to be part of Nottingham Organic Gardeners’ Potato Day and some fun potato trivia.

Also to be my celebration of the potato and Nottingham Organic Gardeners Potato Day.

More information at

http://nottinghamorganicgardeners.com/potato-day-info

The text below is from the Nottingham Organic Gardeners’

“DUE TO LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCEMENT..

We are still definitely planning to bring potato day to you in some manner!

We have placed the order for the potatoes!

When we have them delivered and how we will get them to you will be planned soon!"

Day 7: The largest potato producing Country - China.

A daily post of potato trivia introducing a potato variety a day.

The total world potato production was estimated as 388,191,000 tonnes in 2017.

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 more than 165 million tonnes in 2007.

The Chinese government is looking to increase national potato production, as the potato is more profitable per acre than other staple crops, such as grains, beans, and cotton.

Rapidly industrialising countries give people more money to eat more diverse foods including western foods where potatoes are a common feature.

China is now the biggest potato producer, and almost a third of all potatoes are harvested in China and India.

Today’s variety - Desiree (Maincrop)

The worlds most popular red potato originating from The Netherlands in 1962.

Oval, red-skinned tubers with pale yellow flesh.

Recommended by Delia Smith due to their potential to make the ‘perfect’ roast potato.

Excellent roasted, boiled or baked.

About my January Potato Journey

I am trying to build up my horticulture knowledge, all views are my own and are intended to be in a positive spirit.

I am a member of Nottingham Organic Gardeners (NOGs)

The daily posts are hoped to feature varieties which are likely to be part of Nottingham Organic Gardeners’ Potato Day and some fun potato trivia.

Also to be my celebration of the potato and Nottingham Organic Gardeners Potato Day.

More information at

http://nottinghamorganicgardeners.com/potato-day-info

The text below is from the Nottingham Organic Gardeners’

“DUE TO LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCEMENT..

We are still definitely planning to bring potato day to you in some manner!

We have placed the order for the potatoes!

When we have them delivered and how we will get them to you will be planned soon!"

Day 6: A local record-breaker

The heaviest potato

Peter Glazebrook grew the heaviest potato weighs 4.99 kg recorded on 4th September 2011 and was grown in his garden near Newark in Nottinghamshire.

The keen vegetable grower said his passion for "monsters" came from trying to win prizes at his local garden show in Southwell.

The gardener does not just grow huge potatoes but all sorts of big vegetables in his back garden.

He has held ten world records including the heaviest parsnip and the longest beetroot.

Today’s variety - Colleen (1st early)

Colleen is an Irish variety and the seed potatoes are very high yielding.

Great uniform tuber shape making them ideal boiled potatoes.

Short oval shape with yellow skin and creamy yellow flesh and shallow eyes.

Day 5 - Mr Potato Head

The Potato in popular culture - Mr Potato Head

Mr Potato Head is an American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a variety of plastic parts that can attach to the main body.

These parts usually include ears, eyes, shoes, a hat, a nose and a mouth.

The toy was invented and developed by George Lerner in 1949 and first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952.

Originally conceived and designed as plastic pieces to be inserted into a real potato, complaints about mouldy vegetables soon led to the inclusion of a plastic potato body.

The toys tv advertising campaign was the first to be aimed directly at children; before this, commercials were only targeted at adults, so toy advertisements had always been pitched to parents.

This tv commercial campaign revolutionised marketing and caused an industrial boom.

Over one million kits were sold in the first year.

In 1953, Mrs Potato Head was added, and soon after, Brother Spud and Sister Yam completed the Potato Head family with accessories reflecting the affluence of the 1950s that included a car, a boat trailer, a kitchen set, a stroller, and pets called Spud-ettes.

Today’s variety - Charlotte (2nd Early)

A very popular second early salad variety.

Produces pear-shaped, shallow eyed, yellow-skinned, waxy tubers.

Creamy yellow flesh of first-class flavour, eaten either hot or cold.

Potato 'Charlotte' holds an RHS AGM and is frequently found in the supermarket.

DUE TO THE RECENT LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCEMENT..

We are still definitely planning to bring potato day to you in some manner!

We have placed the order for the potatoes!

When we have them delivered and how we will get them to you will be planned soon!"

Day 4 - The Potato Eaters

The Potato in Fine Art

The Potato Eaters is an oil painting by the Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted in 1885 in the Netherlands.

Van Gogh saw the Potato Eaters as a showpiece, for which he deliberately chose a difficult composition to prove he was on his way to becoming a good figure painter.

Van Gogh said he wanted to depict peasants as they really were.

He deliberately chose coarse and ugly models, thinking that they would be natural and unspoiled in his finished work.

The painting had to depict the harsh reality of country life, so he gave the peasants coarse faces and bony, working hands.

He painted the five figures in earth colours – ‘something like the colour of a really dusty potato, unpeeled of course’.

The message of the painting was more important to Van Gogh than correct anatomy or technical perfection.

He was very pleased with the result: yet his painting drew considerable criticism because its colours were so dark and the figures full of mistakes.

Nowadays, the Potato Eaters is one of Van Gogh’s most famous works.

Today’s variety - Cara (Maincrop)

Cara seed potatoes are one of the most popular maincrop varieties due to their excellent resistance to blight and high yield.

The tubers are round with beautiful white and pink white skin and pink eyes.

A robust seed potato variety with excellent drought resistance and good all round disease resistance.

Cara has soft, floury white flesh, therefore is good for baking and chipping.

Cara (main crop)