Hollow Potato

This was the year of the potato. We harvested about six bushels from the 12 rows in our Roshara garden, the highest yield in my many years of gardening. The yield was great and so was the size of the potatoes—many were larger than my fist, some as large as two fists. Unfortunately, some of the largest potatoes were also hollow, caused by stress and when potatoes grow too rapidly.  Hollow potatoes can be eaten, merely cut out the hollow part, which is usually discolored.

My dad grew acres of potatoes on the home farm and occasionally some of them were hollow.  He told the story of when he and Wilbur Witt, my uncle, peddled potatoes from door to door in Oshkosh.  This was back in the 1930s.  They sold a bushel of beautiful, big white potatoes to a woman.  The following week they returned to Oshkosh, and found themselves confronted by this woman who said, “Some of the potatoes you sold me were hollow.”

            “Those are special potatoes,” my dad said, with a straight face.  “What you do, is you plug the potato, removing a little core.  Fill the hollow part of the potato with butter, replace the plug and bake them.  Nothing better tasting.”

            “I’ll take another bushel,” the woman said

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Sometimes a hollow potato is a special potato.

ANNOUNCEMENT:  For those in the Madison area: Mark your calendars.  Launch of my new novel, THE GREAT SAND FRACAS OF AMES COUNTY will be at Barnes and Noble, West in Madison on October 7, 7:00 p.m.  Everyone invited.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

October 2, Heartland Forum, Minneapolis: The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County (A trade show, which is not open to the public.)

October 7, 7:00 p.m. Barnes and Noble, west Madison: The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County

October 9, 11:00 a.m.  The Larry Meiller Show, Wisconsin Public Radio. The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County.

October 16, 6:00 p.m. Patterson Memorial Library, Wild Rose, WI The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County

October 19, 12:30 p.m. Wisconsin Book Festival, Rm. 302, Madison Main Library. The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County

October 23, 5:00 p.m. dinner, 6:00 p.m. presentation Green Bay Neville Museum. Horse Drawn Days. Registration required.

November 1, 9:00 to 4:00 “Writing From Your Life Workshop” The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

November 1, 4:30 p.m., Book signing WI The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County The Clearing, Ellison Bay, WI.

November 8, 9:00-11:30, Sheboygan County Research Center, Plymouth, WI. Barns of Wisconsin.

November 12, Noon. Wisconsin Historical Society Tour, La Crosse, Weber Center for the Preforming Arts.  Farm Stories.

December 7, 1:00-2:15 and 2:30-3:15 Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells(Two sessions) Wis Farm Bureau Meeting. Writing From Your Life for Children and Grandchildren.