It’s potato harvesting
time. Since 1967, when we began
vegetable gardening at Roshara, potatoes have remained one of our main
crops. Maybe it’s because the words of
my father remain in my head—a meal is not complete unless it includes
potatoes. Thus, as a kid, I remember
fried potatoes for breakfast, boiled potatoes for dinner, and boiled potatoes
for supper, at least six days of the week.
We often had pancakes for breakfast on Sunday, as a special treat, but
back to potatoes for dinner and supper.
Another treat was baked potatoes, which we had when relatives came for
dinner or supper, and especially if it was a holiday such as Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Potatoes have been an
important food in the world for thousands of years. The Inca Indians in Peru were believed to
have cultivated potatoes around 9,000 B.C.
In 1536, the Spanish invaders in Peru discovered the taste of potatoes
and took them back to Europe. In 1589,
Sr. Walter Raleigh is believed to have introduced potatoes to Ireland. It wasn’t until the 1620s that potatoes made
their way from Europe to the United States.
Irish immigrants to the U.S. also brought potatoes with them. According to the USDA, in 2021 the top three
states in potato production were Idaho, Washington and Wisconsin
Potatoes are a nutritious
food; They are plant-based, cholesterol-free, sodium-free. fat-free, and gluten-free.
The potato is about 80 percent water and 20 percent solids. An eight-ounce baked or boiled potato
contains only 100 calories. They
also are an excellent source of fiber and they contain antioxidants that help
to prevent diseases.
The potato became the
first vegetable to be grown in space—the year was 1995. NASA and the University
of Wisconsin-Madison researchers created the technology. The goal was to provide a way of feeding
astronauts on long space voyages, and perhaps feed future space colonies.
THE OLD TIMER SAYS: Listen
to your dad. Potatoes are good for you.
WHERE TO BUY MY BOOKS
Buy from your local bookstore, or buy online from the
Wisconsin Historical Society bookstore, https://shop.wisconsinhistory.org/books, bookshop.org, or
purchase from the Friends of the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose—a
fundraiser for them. Phone: 920-622-3835 for prices and ordering, or contact
the librarian: barnard@wildroselibrary.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984.
www.wildroselibrary.org
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