The Humble Spud

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how hard this pandemic has hit us. It’s a scary time and at moments I’m sure for lots of us, pure panic. Especially, if you’re trying to feed yourself and your family. Enter the ‘humble spud’.

Historically potatoes have fed whole civilizations. “They are one of the first edible crops to emerge at the dawn of modern human history and managed to spread across the entire world, and  distinguish themselves for their ruggedness, storage quality and it’s nutritional value. Potato, indegenous flowering plants of South America and the Andes mountains (modern-day southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia) managed to prove its usefulness to our ancestors, who cultivated it, nurtured it, and ensured its survival during the last 10,000 years  of our history” –vegetablefacts.net

In the 1500’s when the conquistadors came to South America looking for gold, instead, they found potatoes. “The Spanish government found it easily transported food for their military and navy who while using them did not succumb to the scurvy. Potatoes arrived in Britain in 1585, Belgium and Germany in 1587, Austria in 1588, Ireland in 1589 and France in 1600. Unfortunately, the local populations thought it unneeded, weird, poisonous and downright evil” – vegetablefacts.net

It wasn’t until the French people, starved because of continuous warfare, was there a change in the attitude and a turn to the potato for sustenance. Here’s the good part of the story; “French botanist and chemist Antoine-Augustin Parmentier persuaded the King of France Louis XVl to encourage mass cultivation of this plant by tricking the population. The King gave Parmentier funds and land to grow 100 acres of potatoes, which were carefully guarded by military guards. Such large military government attention on guarding these potatoes instantly sparked the attention of the people, who after that started adopting potatoes more and more until it became one of the most popular food sources in Europe. Even Queen Marie Antoinette contributed to the plan by pinning potato flowers in her curls, a move that was quickly emulated by noble ladies all across Europe.”- vegetablefacts.net

Back to today. And the growing problem of hunger in our world, our country and in some of our homes. What can we do to help ourselves feed our families, not only food, but good food. Rick just told me you can buy a 5 lb. bag of Simply Perfect Russet Potatoes at Walmart for $2.14! We think with some creativity 5lbs. of potatoes could feed a family of five dinner for three days. And over the next few weeks I’ll help with delicious ideas for preparing some wonderful dishes. Clare (daughter number one) just called and suggested empanadas made with potatoes. “The dough or the stuffing?” I asked. “The dough” She answered. There’s no end to the goodness our common friendly spud gives to us.

“Nutritional facts; potatoes are low in calories – a medium baked potato contains only 110 calories. They are a good source of vitamins C, 45% DVA and B-6, manganese, phosphorus, niacin and pantothenic acid. Potatoes are stuffed with phytonutrients, which are the organic components of plants that are thought to promote health, according to the USDA. Phytonutrients in potatoes include carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid. The vitamin C in potatoes acts as an antioxidant. These substances may prevent or delay some types of cell damage, according to the National Board of Health.” livescience.com  What’s not to like 🙂 And like so many other vegetables and fruits, leaving the peel on is where it’s at.

“I bought a big bag of potatoes and it’s growing eyes like crazy. Other foods rot. Potatoes want to see.” – Bill Callahan

Cooking for You My Love has a team of fine researchers and recipe finders, another one of the many things I’m thankful for.

Ciao for now 🙂