Why potatoes you may ask? Why is our team so fascinated by potatoes?
The honest truth is that I don’t know. And that I let go of trying to answer that question a long time ago, and I instead rolled up my sleeves and joined the #potatoes team Slack channel. Now, whenever possible, I seek out new potato recipes, grow potatoes in my garden, and share potato photos and jokes with my colleagues. My dog even dressed up as a potato for last Halloween.
But really, why potatoes?
Part of the reason is probably just as simple as, potatoes are delicious. They are also rich in vitamins (especially Vitamin C), potassium (an electrolyte which aids in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system), and fiber. As Luiz and Brooklyn share below, they are intertwined in the histories of many people and cultures around the world. Or as Devon shares, they have unexpected uses. And as Jacob and Thistle demonstrate, potatoes are also just fun.
And that’s probably another reason why our team loves potatoes. Not only does adding butter or cheese to potatoes naturally bring joy, but the act of intensely focusing in on potatoes within our work, is also an act of joy and playfulness. Working on system change within agriculture and food systems, within our company, and within ourselves is hard. To keep doing this work is important, and one of the ways that we do that, is by incorporating joy and play into how we share, how we gather, and how we cook, and really, how we connect as a team.
What follows is a free form potato compilation from team members.
With joy and fried potatoes,*
Meriwether
*a new 2023 email signature that I am exploring…
History of potatoes and my favorite potato dish
by Luiz Da Costa
Potatoes are believed to have originated in the Andes Mountains of South America, where they have been cultivated for over 7,000 years. The Indigenous peoples of the region, such as the Incas, developed different varieties of potatoes— each adapted to the specific environmental conditions of their territory.
The Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru. Photo credit to Patrick Savalle.
When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in South America in the 16th century, they discovered the potato and brought it back to Europe. Initially, the potato was viewed with suspicion and even hostility by many Europeans, who were not accustomed to eating it and did not recognize its nutritional value.
Over time, however, the potato gained acceptance in Europe, particularly in Ireland and Scotland, where it became a staple crop. By the 19th century, the potato became an important food source for people worldwide, particularly in regions with poor soil or difficult growing conditions.
Today, potatoes are one of the most widely cultivated crops in the world, with China and India being the largest producers. Potatoes are used in various ways, including as a side dish, in soups and stews, and as an ingredient in snacks such as chips and french fries.
Between 1750 and 1845 the Irish population increased by 225% growing from 2.5 million to over eight million people and about half of those eight million depended on the potato as an integral food source. Why were potatoes so crucial to Ireland? The potato plant was hardy, nutritious, calorie-dense, and easy to grow in Irish soil. By the time of the famine, nearly half of Ireland's population relied almost exclusively on potatoes for their diet, and the other half ate potatoes frequently.
Boxty is my favorite potato dish.
Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake. Photo credit to Julia Balbilla.
Boxty is a traditional Irish dish that is essentially a potato pancake made with grated raw potatoes, mashed cooked potatoes, flour, and milk or buttermilk. The mixture is fried in a skillet until golden brown and crispy on the outside while still soft and fluffy on the inside. Boxty has been a popular dish in Ireland for centuries and was traditionally eaten by farmers and laborers as a hearty and filling meal. It is still enjoyed throughout Ireland and can often be found in Irish pubs and restaurants, where it is usually served with various toppings or fillings, such as bacon, eggs, or smoked salmon.
Boxty Recipe
Yields about four servings
Ingredients:
1 cup raw, grated potatoes
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (roughly) milk to mix
2 oz butter & 2 tsp. vegetable oil
Method:
Place the grated raw potatoes in a clean cloth and twist to remove excess moisture.
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder.
Combine the flour mixture with the raw potatoes, the leftover mashed potatoes, and the eggs.
Add enough mix to make a batter.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add butter and oil.
Drop potato batter by the tablespoon into the hot pan.
Brown on both sides (about 4 minutes per side).
Butter each boxty and serve hot with or without sugar.
Thistle and a potato
Potato haiku
by Thistle, translated by Meriwether
round, brown, fun, woof, woof
i like potatoes, they roll,
they tumble, they bounce.
Potato building blocks
By Devon Artis-White
The construction industry accounts for 40% of all global CO2 emissions, 13% of which are attributed to material choices, and 30% of the total weight of construction materials end up in a landfill. It is an enormous industry— the 9th largest by percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution in the US— and it’s in need of a material overhaul.
The construction industry accounts for 40% of all global CO2 emissions. Photo credit to Quang Nguyen Vinh.
While the world starts to look at geoengineering and oceanic carbon capture to slow and reverse climate change, there remains the issue of material choices in the built environment and how to turn would-be “waste” into “nutrients” for biological and industrial cycles. Some of this can be done after the material has been extracted, turned into a product, and used. This is the case with ByFusion’s ByBlock, which is a building brick made of recycled plastic. The downside to this method is that it isn’t addressing the overall demand for plastic. The waste has been diverted, but the problematic nature of plastic existing in the world persists.
“With increasing awareness of the effects of materials like steel and concrete, it will be critical to look at the world around us and make unlikely partnerships with plants and materials that we otherwise overlooked. ”
One of the surprising answers to this dilemma can be found in the humble potato and potato-based products.
Chip[s]Board for example, is a sustainable replacement for Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) made of a potato-waste bioplastic called Parblex Plastics. MDF is often used as an inexpensive and less durable alternative to plywood for affordable furniture and casements in the built environment. The brilliance of products like Chip[s]Board is that it uses a benign material, like potato waste, to create a new material that not only reduces the demand for harmful petrochemical-based products but also creates a new market for plant-based materials that utilize “waste.”
This instant noodle packaging is made of potatoes and dissolves into hot water to create a seasoned broth. Photo credit to Dezeen.
Potatoes are the star of the bio-based show. Holly Grounds, a product design graduate student in 2020, used potato starch to create packaging for dried noodle dishes that is both water-soluble and flavor-infused so it seasons the broth as it dissolves into hot water. The innovative packaging was developed in Grounds’ kitchen.
With increasing awareness of the effects of materials like steel and concrete, it will be critical to look at the world around us and make unlikely partnerships with plants and materials that we otherwise overlooked. And while potato-based products may not directly change the way we build the world around us, there are lessons baked into them that we can take with us.
The potato king
By Brooklyn Butler
Everyone loves potatoes, I’m quite sure, but I’m not so sure anyone can love potatoes as much as Mr. Junius Groves. I would have told you that I was the biggest fan of potatoes and that nobody loved them more than me three years ago, before I learned who he was or the enormous influence he had on the food and farming industries.
Well, was I wrong.
I’m going to tell you the heartwarming tale of Junius Groves, a gentleman from Kentucky who rose to become known as the “Potato King.” Groves was born in 1859 and became free by the Civil War when he was 19. He traveled with other former slaves on foot from Kentucky to Kansas City in the early 1880s.
“The Union Pacific Railroad constructed a rail spur to his land because he produced so many potatoes, allowing him to export them to Canada and Mexico. ”
Groves began his career in Kansas City as a farmer, cultivating potatoes on a six-acre field that he rented. He did, indeed, succeed in expanding, and he quickly became prosperous. He would earn the title of “Potato King” by 1902 for producing the most bushels per acre. The Union Pacific Railroad constructed a rail spur to his land because he produced so many potatoes, allowing him to export them to Canada and Mexico.
Flowering potato plants. Photo credit to Pxfuel.
Groves amassed more than 500 acres in the Kaw Valley by 1913, where he produced 55,000 bushels of potatoes annually. Groves was able to co-found the state’s National Black Business League as a result of this outstanding achievement, which also helped to connect and grow black communities. Amazing.
So that’s a 66-year story condensed into ten sentences. So, I hope you’ll think twice if you ever believed you were the biggest potato lover because Mr. Groves is still the KING.
Would you like fries with that?
By Jacob Ward
Fries or coleslaw?
If only they saw
Potatoes,
Or cabbage?
Chips or salad?
The question is valid.
But the choice you present us,
Is Potatoes,
Or lettuce?
Oh how pretentious,
Cabbage and lettuce.
They grow aboveground,
And won’t let us forget it.
They call themselves heads
As if they had brains.
They look down at others
With a touch of disdain.
Potatoes, meanwhile,
Will bewitch and beguile.
Their starchy humility
Compels you to smile.
Smashed or boiled,
Twice baked or in foil,
And especially fried,
That’s what I’d like on the side.
So next time you ask,
Would you like fries with that?
Now you might see
The only answer for me,
Is yes,
Please.
Jacob enjoying potato chips.