International Day of the Potato

Potatoes are often underestimated as a nutritional powerhouse, but they provide a well-balanced mix of macronutrients and micronutrients essential for human health. They serve as an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, which provide long-lasting energy, making them an ideal staple for physically demanding environments. Additionally, they are naturally low in fat and cholesterol-free, supporting heart health when included as part of a balanced diet. Vitamin C : A single medium potato provides nearly half of the recommended daily intake, supporting immune function, skin health, and iron absorption. Potassium : Potatoes contain more potassium than bananas, which helps regulate blood pressure, nerve signaling, and muscle function. Vitamin B6 : Supports brain function, neurotransmitter production, and metabolic processes. Fiber : When consumed with the skin, potatoes provide a good source of dietary fiber, which promotes digestive health and helps regulate blood sugar levels. Iron an...

  KEY MESSAGES : Better Environment -  Adopting sustainable potato production systems can enhance adaptation to climate change and biodiversity. •Cultivating a wide spectrum of productive varieties that are suited to the local conditions can enhance the resilience of potato cropping systems .  • Cultivating varieties of potato  that are input use-efficient and hardy can reduce the crop’s environmental footprint. • Potato-legume intercropping or crop rotation systems require less chemical fertilizers and hence reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  • Environmentally friendly agronomic practices , such as precision irrigation and conservation agriculture, should be developed, validated and disseminated.

To clean potatoes simply give them a good scrub under some water to remove the dirt and debris and inspect them for any deep eyes that should be cut out. You don’t need to peel potatoes unless you want to, as the skin is edible. Starchy potatoes are great for baking and frying . Because of their starch, they don’t hold together very well when cooked, but they are are fluffy and absorbent — perfect for butter on a baked potato or the oil in a fryer. They are decent mashed, but care must be taken not to overwork them or else you’ll have a gluey mess.

It’s a good idea to inspect your potatoes before you buy them . A little dirt is fine and perfectly normal, but you want to watch out for and avoid any sprouting from the eyes (the little indents in the potato), soft spots, cuts and gouges, or any potato with a green tint to the skin. Green coloring means the potato has been exposed to too much light and developed the toxin solanine, which can cause some nasty conditions like cramping, headaches, diarrhea, and fever. Such a potato also will have a bitter flavor.

Solynta’s potatoes are at the vanguard of a breeding project, launched almost two decades ago, that has shaken up the world of potato research. They are products of hybrid breeding , a technology that has improved many crops beyond breeders’ wildest dreams — but not most commercially grown potatoes, due to a quirk in their biology. As a result, potato breeding is so slow that people today are still eating many of the same cultivars their great-grandparents did a century ago. Experts say Solynta has cracked that problem, which helped lay the groundwork for a revolution in potato breeding. Hybrid breeding will enable breeders to create new varieties faster and more systematically, said Shelley Jansky, a retired plant breeder at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. New potato cultivars could better withstand diseases, heat, drought, or salt. Yields could increase. Boutique varieties could have more interesting tastes, shape...

Despite their small size , these little potatoes are actually fully grown. These small oblong potatoes have an earthy, nutty flavor with thin skin that does not require peeling . While they come in a number of varieties (some of which are highlighted below) they’re always waxy. They’re better for roasting whole than using in a mash. Type: Waxy Best for: Roasting, pan-frying, potato salad. Fingerling Potato Recipes: Garlic Butter Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Nicoise Salad Crispy Salt & Vinegar Potatoes Garlic Butter Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Hannah Sweet Potato. Very much like a Jewel potato, but with lighter skin and flesh. This starchy potato isn’t quite as sweet as other sweet potato varieties, but it’s just as delicious. It is best used in savory applications, due to its milder sweetness and lighter color. Rose Finn Apple Potato. This is a waxy heirloom fingerling variety with a pink, often knobby skin with golden buttery yellow flesh. It has an earthy flavor and is great boiled, grilled, sautéed, deep-fried, and served in salads. Russian Banana Potato. This waxy potato has a pale yellow skin with rich yellow flesh and a firm texture. It is good grilled, sautéed, fried, roasted whole, or steamed for potato salads. Red Thumb Potato. This waxy fingerling with bright-red skin is a favorite among chefs, due to the pink marbling of the flesh. It’s a small, buttery potato that is best boiled or roasted. Use it as a side dish or serve it sliced in a salad. LaRette Potato. These waxy little fingerling-shaped potatoes have a si...