Day 18: International Year of The Potato 2008

The United Nations (UN) declared 2008 as the International Year of the Potato, in Resolution 4/2005 of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, adopted on 25 November 2005.

The UN Resolution noted that the potato is a staple food in the diet of the world’s population.

It affirmed the need to focus world attention on the role that the potato can play in providing food security and eradicating poverty in support of achieving internationally agreed development goals.

2021 has been designated International Year of Fruit and Vegetables by the UN.

A date for the 2021 diary could be the UN’s International Tea Day on May 21st.

Today’s variety - Nicola (2nd early)

Introduced in Germany in 1973.

A reliable 'tried and tested seed potato, Nicola has yellow-fleshed, long, oval tubers with a waxy texture.

Has superb flavour when boiled.

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 Potato Day Shop will be opening very soon!!!

Day 17: Two potato strips

Stefan Bohnenburger is a German artist who has been famed since the 1980s for making a cross of gold from a pair of French fries.

he has repeatedly laid two French fries over each other to form a cross, turning the most banal object of our fat-drenched consumer society into one of the loftiest symbols of European culture.

One of these crosses was even cast in gold and shown as Pommes d’or (Golden fries) in 1990.

Atmospherically lit in a room of its own. at the Munich-based art gallery Mosel and Tschechow, where, according to the artist, they were intended to demonstrate “the metamorphosis of a profane, everyday object into a sacred artwork.”

Trouble arose in 2005, when it was discovered that the original plain-potato fries on which the gold cross was based—an integral part of the exhibit—had mysteriously vanished.

Bohnenberger sued and was awarded a compensatory sum of 2,000 euros for the missing fries, possibly the most money ever spent on two strips of potato !

Today’s variety - Mayan Rose (Maincrop)

Mayan Rose has a striking and unique coloured skin.

Good for mash, roast, wedges cooking quickly and good flavour.

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 16: Potato Power

With a simple trick, the humble potato can be made into a battery.

Using small units comprised of a quarter-slice of potato sandwiched between a copper cathode and a zinc anode that's connected by a wire, agricultural science professor Haim Rabinowitch and his team wanted to prove that a system that can be used to provide rooms with LED-powered lighting for as long as 40 days.

At around one-tenth the cost of a typical AA battery, a potato could supply power for a cell phone and other personal electronics in poor, underdeveloped and remote regions without access to a power grid.

The research also found that by simply boiling the potatoes for eight minutes, it broke down the organic tissues inside the potatoes, reducing resistance and allowing for freer movement of electrons– thus producing more energy

But potato advocates must surmount another problem before their idea catches on: consumer perception of potatoes.

Compared with modern technologies like solar power, potatoes are perhaps less desirable as an energy source.

Advocates of potato power will no doubt continue to keep chipping away!

Today’s variety - Marys Rose (Early Maincrop)

A new variety developed by organic potato supplier Skea Organics

Oval to oblong tubers that have a uniform shape.

Pink skin and white flesh, high yielding with good taste, it holds its shape very well, great for boiling, mashing and roasting.

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 15: The million Euro potato photograph

A celebrated photographer sold a picture of an Irish potato for a million Euros.

The photo, taken in 2010 is titled “Potato #345 (2010)” is by photographer Kevin Abosch, who charges huge fees to shoot portraits of famous business people in the Silicon Valley technology industry.

The sale came about when a wealthy buyer who collects Abosch’s work was visiting the photographer’s Paris home in 2015.

They saw the photo — a 162x162cm print mounted on aluminium composite sheeting (dibond) — hanging on the wall and inquired about purchasing it for their collection.

The price was non-negotiable: €1,000,000.

The buyer agreed to the price and purchased the photo, making it Abosch’s largest sale of a single image to date.

Abosch’s “iconic black backdrop” portraits have become a sort of status symbol among the elites of business and entertainment — the rich and famous pay over $150,000 for a photoshoot with Abosch.

The potato portrait sits alongside shots of Steven Spielberg, Michael Palin, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Malala Yousafzai in the sought-after photographer’s portfolio.

Today’s variety - Maris Piper (Maincrop)

An English variety introduced in 1964.

It was the first commercially successful eelworm-resistant variety.

One of Heston Blumenthal’s favourites for chips! Pleasant floury texture, good flavour.

High yields and many tubers per plant and stores well.

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 14: Potato Photographer of the Year 2020

This one-off competition capturing the beauty of the potato was organised by the online community Photocrowd and judged by a panel of professional photographers.

All the entry fees went to support the work of The Trussel Trust, a food bank charity that aims to end hunger and poverty in the U.K.

Ten top images were announced with the overall winner being Ray Spence for a photograph of a potato getting a lockdown haircut.

Today’s variety - Marfona (Second early)

Introduced in the Netherlands in 1975

A short, oval-shaped potato with a smooth texture.

A great all-rounder in the kitchen, cooking qualities are excellent and the potatoes are full of flavour, it is very good for baking, boiling and mashing.

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!"