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A Potato in Every Pot

by Carey Burkett 08-01-1994
The wonder of potatoes

What can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner; is grown in all 50 states; and had a war named after it? The potato of course. (The 1778-79 War of the Bavarian Succession was nicknamed "The Potato War.") The Incas of Peru, who cultivated hundreds of ancient potato varieties in terraced highlands, measured units of time by how long it took a potato to cook.

This marvelous crop provides more calories per acre than any grain or vegetable. While potatoes can be grown in a dazzling array of shapes, colors, and sizes, these days most of us rely on the russet Burbank, the white Katahdin, and several red varieties. "Yukon Gold" is gaining favor rapidly, probably because its creamy yellow flesh gives the impression of having lots of butter when it’s served.

In Texas, red potatoes are the passion, fittingly planted on Valentine’s Day and harvested in May. That is, if the weather permits. This year a capricious heavy rain, combined with 80 degree temperatures, doomed my farm’s potato crop to a rotting morass. So I am somewhat forlornly sitting inside today writing about potatoes instead of digging them.

I admit I was really looking forward to "new potato" season. I had the menu all planned out—boiled potatoes with butter and parsley, cream of potato soup, leftover potatoes fried for breakfast, potato salad, and shepherd’s pie. And I wasn’t the only one. Our neighbors were over twice last week to see if the potatoes were dug yet. Elderly family members who used to have farms of their own have been reminiscing about past potato harvests and lamenting the fact that senior nutrition centers these days don’t serve enough potatoes.

Food for the Road

by Carey Burkett 07-01-1994

Highway food can be fun for a while—eating forbidden french fries at a fast food joint or sipping iced tea in the cool muffledness of a restaurant.

Salad Days

by Carey Burkett 06-01-1994

For salad lovers this is a heady time of year with more greens around than a person can shake a salad fork at.

Elegant and Eclectic Eggplant

by Carey Burkett 05-01-1994

Let’s say you’ve just walked into the grocery store and on the way to pick up some onions you notice a healthy sized mound of eggplant, with glossy, deep purple skin shining under the florescent lights.

One No-Fat Step at a Time

by Carey Burkett 04-01-1994

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Balancing Feast and Fast

by Carey Burkett 02-01-1994

FEASTING IS JUST half the story. To have "Sunday dinner" implies plainer weekday meals. Holiday banquets include foods not seen the rest of the year.

Cooking by the Book

by Carey Burkett 01-01-1994

MY 1994 NEW YEAR'S resolution - to break loose from serious menu ruts by planning further ahead - has already led to more time at a favorite activity: paging through cookbooks.

The Nose Knows

by Carey Burkett 12-01-1993

A recipe for Fragrant Christmas Punch (organically farmed, of course)

Giving Thanks for Squash

by Carey Burkett 11-01-1993

Squash for Thanksgiving dinner

"Frankenfood" or Miracle Fruit?

by Carey Burkett 09-01-1993

What are the actual benefits of the Flavr Savr tomato?

Grandma's Pastry: A Timeless Treasure

by Carey Burkett 08-01-1993

Pie in August is worth the heat

Guest Refreshers

by Carey Burkett 07-01-1993

Quick vanilla milkshake

Not Just for Popeye Anymore

by Carey Burkett 06-01-1993

Spinach apple salad

Celebrate Garbage

by Carey Burkett 05-01-1993

Your garbage is a merry gold mine

Time Out For Tea

by Carey Burkett 04-01-1993

Cookies and tea

Kneading Cares Away

by Carey Burkett 02-01-1993

Homemade bread is an edible sign of the goodness of the earth

The Unknowns of Food Irradiation

by Carey Burkett 01-01-1993

Food irradiation plants and the choices we must make

The Water of Life

by Carey Burkett 12-01-1992

Giving thanks for water

Food for Soul and Body

by Carey Burkett 11-01-1992

Happy Thanksgiving!

Food for Soul and Body

by Carey Burkett 10-01-1992

Beans beans beans