I am a Crazy but happy life loving soul. Love making new friends and am always ready to listen.
I am a Crazy but happy life loving soul. Love making new friends and am always ready to listen.
Member since:17.08.2002
Reviews:146
Members who trust:27
Spuds, tatties, potatoes call them what you like; hundreds and thousands of people enjoy and use them daily. Or even act like them (couch potatoes)
Potatoes have got a long history behind them, but do you know as much about them as you would like to think you do.
If you do know about them, close this page now. If you want to educate yourself read on.
A nice new word for you to learn is Solanum tuberosum. That will make you sound intelligent at the supermarket when asking for 5lb of spuds. Well maybe not at the supermarket.
Anyhow lets carry on with our lesson.
Potatoes are tubers that swell whilst growing underground. Potatoes have white, brown, purple/bluish or red skin. Inside or should I say underneath the skin you will find white or golden flesh.
Potatoes grow from seed potatoes. (Shoots sticking out of them) When the potatoes grow 8 to 10 inches high. You must do what is called hilling this is done by covering the base of the plant with soil to stop the potatoes from any light contact which makes them turn green.
Before picking your potatoes you must let the green top die off to allow the skin to set.
Sir Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes in England around about 1586. Potatoes at that time were at first considered unclean and the devils apples, plus a hundred other things, but as time went on they were accepted.
They were Native to Central and South America, and were probably first cultivated in Chile.
Potatoes are nutrient-rich. Potatoes are full of energy-providing carbohydrates, and they don't contain any fat.
One medium potato provides us with
45 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin C 21 percent of the Daily Value for potassium 3 grams of fibre 100 calories
Potatoes are a vegetable and help us in our aim in eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Which is now highly recommended for a healthier life.
There are many varieties of potato, but they all have three main parts. The skin (periderm) is a basis of fibre and minerals. The first part under the skin the main flesh is fibrous and rich in carbohydrate. The inner most part of the potato, (the pith) is watery.
Choosing potatoes can be a bit of a pain. I am quite sure many of us have bought potatoes that turn to mush as we are boiling them or bought potatoes that don’t make proper chips. I will give a quick run down on some brands of potatoes and what they are good for.
Estima are a good for baked (jacket potatoes) and can also be used for chips.
Cara are good for baked potatoes. Chips and mashed potatoes.
King Edward excellent in more or less everything boiled, roasted, mashed or chips.
Maris Piper equally as good as King Edward boiled, roasted, baked and chips.
Desiree another good one, boiled, roasted, baked and chips.
Premiere mostly used for boiling.
If potatoes are prepared to early they will discolour, so it is recommended that you cover them in cold water to prevent this.
Potatoes can be added to soups, stews and casseroles to thicken them.
Potatoes should always be kept in dark, cool and dry conditions. This stops them sprouting or changing colour.So what can you do with potatoes… Boil, Roast, Mash, Chip, Bake, Crisps, Thicken, Stuff…Say no more
Except to add they are a great way to entertain children.. Make potato men, I am quite sure you can still buy false ears, eyes, mouths etc. to decorate a potato. If not make potato patterns on plain paper, cut a potato in half, carve out a pretty patterns in the two halves, dip them in childrens paint and press them gently on the paper to make patterns.
I will not mention the potato blight (caused by Phytophthora infestans) The great Irish Famine of 1845 to 1847 were up to one million people died.
I am off to get a chip butty.
Thanks for the read.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful by (100%):
