Potatoes

THIS WEEK......

FARM NEWS FROM GRAEME OAKLEY................JUNE 2010

The potato harvesting operation has been difficult over the past three months with some fields being irrigated two or three times to enable harvest to proceed. Most harvested have come out of the ground well. Otherwise it seems to be no middle ground. The recent 250mm of rain has meant we had only three harvest days in the last three weeks. We have dug our first Purple Heart variety for the season, with moderate yields but good tuber size. I’m looking forward to seeing the reaction in the market place with this new variety.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7uyKYeGPdE

POTATO SONG..................Click on this utube address to view the Potatoes song from the International Year of the Potato Conference, sung by real live potatoes!!!!! Yes seeing is believing.

History

If a potato does not perform how you predicted, you need to be prepared to change your cooking method to match the type of potato you have. Potatoes, often called spuds, are probably native to the Andes in South America. They have been a staple food of the Europeans and North Americans for nearly two hundred years. It's the swollen underground stem we eat, called a tuber. Potatoes, like most of the common vegetables we know today, came to New Zealand from the British Isles and were established by 1880 as a staple part of the early settlers’ diet.

There is a lot of interest in different potato varieties. The often large differences in texture, flavour and shape make each variety suitable to its own particular method of cooking. There are many grown in New Zealand, but there are about 10 to 12 varieties which are predominant and readily available. In addition there are a lot of varieties which have limited and / or localised supplies.

Potatoes are the most popular vegetable in New Zealand with 97% of us eating them. 53% of New Zealanders consume fresh potatoes four times per week and 21% of New Zealanders eat them daily.

What to look for

Choose potatoes that haven't got any cuts, bruises, green patches or shoots. Sometimes you may choose a smooth looking potato over a misshapen one and assume that it is a better product. This is not necessarily the case as some varieties characteristically have skins which are netted or have eyes in them. A potato does not have to look good to cook brilliantly! Different potatoes will cook differently – so you need to use a potato suited to your end use. However, even the same variety will sometimes cook differently.

Buy potatoes by end use. These potatoes will have been cook tested by the growers or packers and will cook according to the packaging. They will be marked as for ‘boiling’, ‘salads’, ‘wedges’ or ‘baking’, for example. For best results select the right potato for the job.

At either ends of the spectrum, a potato is either ‘floury’ or ‘waxy’. Some potatoes are less floury or less waxy than others. These potatoes fall in the area of ‘general-purpose’ and will tend to perform most tasks, although perhaps with not as good results as the ones which clearly fall into the floury or waxy category.

WAXY

Ideal for Boiling, Salads, Casseroles, Soups

GENERAL-PURPOSE

Suitable for most end uses

FLOURY

Ideal for Mashing, Wedges, Roasting, Chips, Baking

TYPES

Potatoes which tend to be waxy are:
Most early (new) season potatoes
Nadine

Potatoes which tend to be general-purpose are:
Desiree

Potatoes which tend to be floury are:
Agria (and the related varieties Bolesta and Markie)

However, as the season progresses a potato changes , whilst towards the end of the season when a lot more of the natural sugars have converted to starch, it tends to be floury. Not all potatoes show such a range of characteristics.

Weather, climate and soil have a dramatic effect on the cooking performance of a potato. For example, a Southland grown Nadine may be very waxy.

How to keep

Store at 7°C with a relative humidity of 90%. When stored above this the potatoes will sprout and below this the starch will turn to sugar and you will get flavour changes. Potatoes are ethylene sensitive and should be stored separately from ethylene producing vegetables and fruits wherever possible.

CONSUMER STORAGE: Store them in a well ventilated cool dark place. Don't put them in the fridge as the flavour changes will be noticeable. Always look out for the ''Lucky'' bag, which are manufactured specifically for potatoes. Place them gently in your storage area because even though they look tough they do bruise easily. A heavy paper bag or cardboard box makes a good storage container.

When potatoes are exposed to light they can develop a green colour resulting in chlorophyll formation in the surface layers. Associated with this is the formation of a toxic alkaloid, solanine. The amount of green pigment depends on the intensity of the light, length of exposure and age of potato. New potatoes are really susceptible to greening. Some varieties have quite a yellow flesh so don’t confuse this with greening. If you do purchase potatoes with lots of greening, return them to your retailer. If there are small amounts of greening simply peel or scrape away the greening and use the potato normally.

Natural dirt and dust on potatoes can help to keep them fresher so it is best not to wash them until you are ready to cook them - or if you buy ready washed, buy small quantities regularly.

Nutritional value

The potato has been described as the phyotochemical jewel box. They are a great fuel food to power your body and provide a wealth of nutrients, especially vitamin C and potassium. Vitamin C in potatoes is very important as we eat so many potatoes, for example New Zealanders get around 30% of their vitamin C requirement from potatoes. They are a valuable source of B group vitamins, particularly B6, thiamin and niacin. Potatoes are also good source of fibre and they contain some iron and magnesium. They are high in starch so will stop you feeling hungry for a long time. Antioxidants present in potatoes are phenolic acids, vitamin C and in yellow fleshed or red skinned varieties – carotenoids and anthocyanins respectively. Potatoes are also a source of high quality protein.

Potatoes are not fattening, however some cooking and preparation methods are!

How to prepare

When possible, don't peel your potato as most of the antioxidants and fibre are just under the skin. Leaving the skin on will also help prevent water soluble vitamins leaching out during cooking. Simply wash and scrub it. Any green areas should be discarded.

Ways to eat this vegetable ... They are the MOST versatile vegetable around

There are many ways to cook potatoes - the serving suggestions are endless! You can eat them baked, mashed, boiled, sauteed, scalloped, as wedges, potato skins, roasted or fried, added to soups, in salads. (See our recipies page for details).