Nuggets of Gold

By Julie A. Mikoley

It is such a commonplace vegetable, most people hardly take notice of the humble potato. Universally available, they only enter into our consciousness when the price per pound starts a dramatic rise as it did in the U.S. in winter of 2002. The potato is the fourth largest agricultural crop in the world, following wheat, corn and rice. Annual world production tops 300 million metric tons of which the U.S. grows 8 million for table use; 6 million for processed use (chips, fries etc.) and 1 million for animal feed. But widespread availability and low price weren't always part of the potato story. At one point, in fact, the French government set an armed guard around a small field of potatoes to protect them from the local populace, as I will explain later. A relative of the tomato, pepper and eggplant, the potato (Solanum tuberosum) originally came from the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia in South America. Conquest of these areas by the Spanish in the sixteenth century bought the potato to Europe, but mainly as a foodstuff for the peasant or lower classes. One of the first uses of the potato was to feed hospital inmates. Amateur botanists gradually began growing the potato as a curiosity but its appeal as a foodstuff was limited due to ingrained eating habits (diets consisted mostly of meat or soups & bread).

This situation continued in France until 1773 when Antoine Parmentier was trying to interest the government in a new food crop for the peasants. Imprisoned in Prussia, he had been fed potatoes and quickly realized their economic potential. But he had little success in introducing this new product until he hit upon the idea of 'guarding' the crop. After planting a small trial patch of potatoes, he mounted a 24-hour guard on the field. The local populace were intrigued to discover what might be going on, or rather coming up, in the field and so under cover of darkness they made raids upon the field stealing the precious tubers. Once established in their own gardens, the potato's future was assured. Parmentier is remembered today by several recipes bearing his name including Potage Parmentier, a potato-based soup. Today, there are many different cultivars available and potatoes are an ideal crop for both new and experienced gardeners. New gardeners will appreciate the large size of the 'seed' potatoes, and their relative ease of cultivation with almost guaranteed results. The experienced gardener knows that the far reaching roots of the potato's tuber system are ideal in breaking up new or neglected patches of soil to improve texture, although the initial crop may be small. Cultivation of potatoes should begin in the previous Fall with the preparation of the seed bed. Dig over the ground deeply and incorporate nutrients such as bone, fish or blood meal. Potatoes like a sandy, acidic soil (pH slightly less than 6). To increase soil acidity, pine needles can be dug into the soil but don't be tempted to overdo this application as soil which is overly acid produces only small potatoes. As potatoes are heavy feeders, they appreciate the nutritional value of generous amounts of well rotted manure. There are three types of potatoes grown today, with differing times to maturity. First Earlies mature in 14 to 16 weeks; Second Earlies or Mid-Season between 16 and 17 weeks and finally Maincrops which take between 18 to 20 weeks to mature. Yields vary between Earlies at about 4 pounds per yard of row to Maincrops at 6 pounds per yard of row. This difference is due to the larger size of the later which are left in the ground longer. Some varieties available in Europe are: the early cropping Concorde, Epicure and the rare Belle de Fontenay from France. This potato is yellow, kidney shaped with a waxy texture and fine flavor. Maincrops include Avalanche, Pink Fir Apple, Red Norland, Wilja and Desiree' which has a pink skin with pale yellow flesh. North American cultivars that mature early include Bliss Triumph, Krantz and Russian Blue which has purple skin and lavender flesh. Mid-Season varieties include

Cherokee, Chippawa and Katahdin which was introduced in 1932, a flat to round white potato with good drought resistance. Maincrops include the bakers Nooksack and Butte, both russet varieties, the later a high yielder from coming from Idaho. The first step in planting potatoes, after purchasing your seed stock, is to chite or sprout them. Chitted potatoes produce larger yields and the ideal size for the sprouts is 1". Longer ones necessitate extra care when planting so as not to be damaged. Place the potatoes in a frost free location with some light and they will shortly begin throwing out sprouts and roots from 'eyes' on the surface. Sprouts forming on the underside of the potato should be rubbed off with a finger's pressure. When planning the vegetable garden, some gardeners take notice of the traditional notion of companion planting and research has shown that potatoes do well when planted with horseradish (which aids in disease control) and eggplant (which is a great attractant for the Colorado potato beetle). Other good companions are corn, cabbage, beans and marigolds. Whilst on the subject of folklore in the potato patch, it is interesting to note two common superstitions which I have come across on both sides of the Atlantic. A large body of gardeners swear by planting potatoes on Good

Friday (despite the fact that this holiday moves through late March and early April), and another group prefers to plant on St. Patrick's Day (March 17). Another popular belief involves moon phases and it is said to be beneficial to plant all root crops, including beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes and turnips in the third quarter decreasing. These are the seven days after the full moon. R. John Harris of Cornwall, England is quoted as saying, "I've got a large area in potatoes. We've got some planted at the right time of the moon and soon crops at the wrong time of the moon. The difference is so obvious and there for everybody to see." Your potato crop will form on top of the planted seed, between it and the soil surface and so it is important to plant the seeds at a sufficient depth. Ideally, a trench should be dug to about 6" and the potatoes carefully planted in this trench with the sprouts upmost. When filled in the ground will be level again but after the emergence of the growing shoots (about three weeks), the rows need to be hilled at least once covering the original seed with more soil to achieve a depth of about 12". Hills or mounds of earth should be flat and broad rather than narrow and peaked. This will prevent light from damaging the growing crop producing poisonous green patches on the potatoes. In clay soil this technique of hilling is especially important as research has shown that the tubers tend to rise in the level of the prepared soil. Mulching with straw increases yields if applied as the shoots are emerging and also may serve to smoother weeds. However, such mulch can encourage rodents to dig into your potato patch and beat you to the harvest.

Potatoes require approximately 20" of rainfall to ensure a good crop and this should start as soon as the sprouts have broken the surface continuing until two weeks after maximum leaf coverage. At this point watering can be reduced until the haulm (stems and leaves) dies back. When you are out in the potato patch weeding during the early summer days, you may be interested to note that the term 'spud' now used to describe the potato itself, was originally the name of a tool used to weed them. Potatoes are subject to some pests and diseases, most notably late blight (Phytophthera infestans) which caused the Irish Potato Famine of 1846-50. For two years in a row the entire crop was destroyed resulting in the deaths of as many as one million lives from starvation and disease (many typhus and cholera). Today there are blight resistant potato cultivars and growers may also apply Bordeaux mixture every two weeks from Midsummer onwards. Bordeaux mixture is a liquid spray incorporating slaked lime and copper sulphate. Common Potato Scab will raise cork-like patches on the surface of the crop but these are not serious and may simply be removed by peeling. This disease is common in hot, dry summers. Severe infestations of eelworms or nematodes may damage or destroy crops and the remedy is equally dramatic as all potatoes and foliage should be lifted and burned. The land should not be used for tomato or potato production for the following five years. Resistant varieties are available and crop rotation within the garden is recommended. Once the haulm has died down, the potatoes may be carefully lifted preferably on a dry day when the soil is dry. Be very careful when using a garden fork for digging your potatoes as it is very easy to 'skewer' them. Pull up the dead foliage and then scramble through the loose soil looking for the tubers. For long term storage, potatoes should be stored in heavy paper (feed) sacks which are loosely tied at the top. These sacks will ensure a passage of air around the crop and yet cut out any light which might damage them. Under no circumstances use plastic which will cause the stored potatoes to rot. The bag should then be placed in a frost free location, ideally at around 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Alternately, if your climate is wintry yet mild, potatoes can be stored outdoors in a traditional garden 'structure', the clamp. This is built using a good bed of straw to about 12" deep placed in a sheltered spot in the garden. On top of the prepared bed pile the vegetables in a tidy heap and then cover with a second layer of straw, again about 12" deep. This entire mound should then be covered with earth about 6" deep. Before we leave the fascinating world of the potato, I want to pass along two herbal remedies I have come across. The first is said to reduce blood pressure. Peel four or five washed potatoes and put the peelings in about 2 cups of water. Boil for 15 minutes and then strain and cool. Drink one cupful daily. For stomach ulcers and arthritis, juice three or four potatoes and flavor this beverage with honey, carrot or lemon juice. Drink a small amount (3 fluid ounces) four times a day for a month. Please consult your medical practitioner before using any alternative cures.

Julie Mikoley is an avid gardener and writer who writes for several national publications.