There are many things for which Lakeland residents can be grateful this Thanksgiving long weekend, including their friends, family, delicious cuisine, and stunning surroundings—even in the kitchen.
For those who are lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving surrounded by food, family, and friends, preparation can be somewhat time-consuming. The awful potato prep is a portion of that effort. In the military, washing and peeling potatoes is still regarded as one of the most difficult jobs. Washing pots, mopping floors, and peeling potatoes are common Kitchen Police tasks for anyone on KP Duty.
The potato may have a poor reputation as a result of that association, but where would Thanksgiving dinner be without it?
Over 30 million pounds of potatoes are expected to have been peeled, boiled, roasted, or mashed for Thanksgiving dinners throughout Canada this holiday weekend.
Although potatoes are tasty and nutrient-dense, do you really know what’s in that ten-pound bag you just paid $8.99 for at your neighbourhood Sobeys or Independent Grocer?
Potato plants are members of the nightshade family of flowering plants; a tuber is what’s actually used to make the gravy moat on Thanksgiving plates.
- The majority of potatoes in Alberta are used to make French fries; potatoes are the fourth most significant food crop in the world due to their high nutritious content.
- Rich in complex carbohydrates, or good carbs, which are a fantastic source of energy, a medium-sized baked potato has about 100 calories, is fat-free, and contains no gluten. • Potatoes have the highest protein level of any root vegetable.
- Potatoes are a great source of vitamin C; one medium-sized potato has around half the daily required amount—more than an orange or an apple. Potassium is found in potatoes more than in bananas.
Looking further afield for more interesting potato facts leads us to the *Idaho Potato Museum, where spud specialists inform us that:
The caloric content of an 8-ounce cooked or boiled potato is merely about 100.
Germans consume over twice as much potatoes annually as the average American, who eats about 124 pounds ann
ually.
- Eric Jenkins, an Englishman, raised 370 pounds of potatoes from a single plant in 1974.
*The invention of “french fries” in America is credited to Thomas Jefferson, who served them at a supper at the White House.
*The largest potato ever produced was 7 pounds, 1 ounce, and was cultivated by J. East (1953) and J. Busby (1982) of Great Britain, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
*The Pringle’s Company in Jackson, Tennessee, created the largest potato chip crisp in history, which is on display at the Potato Museum. This was done in 1990. It is 23 x 14.5 inches in size.
- In the past, royal fashion was quite popular with potato blossoms. When Marie Antoinette marched across the French countryside with potato blooms in her hair, potatoes first gained popularity.
- By far the most incredible bit of tater-trivia we could locate was that the potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space, having been planted there in October 1995. The technique was developed by NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, with the intention of feeding future space colonies as well as humans on extended space missions.
