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How Potatoes Evolved

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Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#41

Post by benchly »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #36
benchly wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife and I did the same with two planters outside my apartment, first time trying our hand at container gardening. We are about 10ish days from harvest and exited to see what happened. If the amount and health of the leaves are any indication, we should pull a meal or two's worth out of it for what amounted to very little effort and care. Fingers crossed! We tried carrots, but they came out very stunted, even acco…

The most productive things I grow (temperate/cool climate in coastal BC) and then actually eat/enjoy: - Zucchini always grows more than we can use, but they're really good. I pick them very small (~6") so the plant continues producing and growing more - Chard grows year-round and is very resilient and low-maintenance. It's great in casseroles, soups, sautees, and other cooked formats - Kale is similar. It'll just kee…

I forgot to mention that I tried Kale but as soon as it started sprouting, the local chipmunks dug it all up, but left the carrots and potatoes alone. I'll have to build a cage next season.

Definitely add your other suggestions to the list. We are in Michigan, US, so harvest is soon, then Winter, so plenty of time to plan and prep as we learn more about container gardening.

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#42

Post by nosioptar »

amanaplanacanal wrote: post #18
metalman wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

your comment shows that you are a real foodie, but unfortunately missunderstood , or rather it was the downvoting that made re read your comment and go "hey ya!, good one"

I read it, and I must be eating too many potatoes because I have no idea what they are on about.

It's all true. How else would Idahoans be so consistently dimwitted?

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#43

Post by rishi_devan »

alanvillalobos wrote: post #39

> There are around 140 species of wild potato in South America, growing from Mexico in the north all the way down to Argentina and Chile in the south. This one always bothers me. Mexico is in North America.

Perhaps the word "Latin America" would have been more apt?

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#44

Post by alecco »

CoastalCoder wrote: post #19
teslabox wrote: post #3

Nightshades are problematic for stressed and old people because the plants have mild poisons. Old people and addicts tend to not be able to handle the poisons in tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and chilis. But for people that are nightshade-tolerant potatoes are an excellent food crop. IIRC, someone was annoyed that do-gooders wanted to remove potatoes from the food stamp programs, because the potato is actually an alm…

I thought one of the issues with potatoes is that they have a really high glycemic index, not lack of nutrients. So consistently eating a lot of them increases one's risk of Type 2 diabetes.

That is misleading. Potatoes are ranked as one of the most satiating foods per calorie. The problem is people put a lot of butter/oil on them. Or eat them too processed.

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#45

Post by sowbug »

benchly wrote: post #20
stevekemp wrote: post #9

Off-topic but I have to say that potatoes are incredibly easy to grow, and doing so is very worthwhile. I have a small planter on my balcony at the moment which is thriving with leaves, and in a few weeks I'll dig out the harvest to see what I got. People grow them in very poor soil, and even in literal bags of compost, or buckets. They're easy-going and almost trouble-free. Growing chillis, tomatoes, or herbs on win…

My wife and I did the same with two planters outside my apartment, first time trying our hand at container gardening. We are about 10ish days from harvest and exited to see what happened. If the amount and health of the leaves are any indication, we should pull a meal or two's worth out of it for what amounted to very little effort and care. Fingers crossed! We tried carrots, but they came out very stunted, even acco…

Garlic takes a long time, but it's easy and doesn't take up much space. It also repels some critters that might otherwise help themselves to your crops.

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#46

Post by sowbug »

dyauspitr wrote: post #33
ninalanyon wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> do-gooders wanted to remove potatoes from the food stamp programs, because the potato is actually an almost-complete food. What on earth?!

Why would they want to remove it if it’s an almost complete food?

Read the original quote for full context.

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#47

Post by tshaddox »

rishi_devan wrote: post #43
alanvillalobos wrote: post #39

> There are around 140 species of wild potato in South America, growing from Mexico in the north all the way down to Argentina and Chile in the south. This one always bothers me. Mexico is in North America.

Perhaps the word "Latin America" would have been more apt?

I suppose that coincidentally works in this case where they’re inexplicably omitting the wild potato species in the United States.

I personally would have just gone with “the Americas.”

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#48

Post by emptybits »

benchly wrote: post #20
stevekemp wrote: post #9

Off-topic but I have to say that potatoes are incredibly easy to grow, and doing so is very worthwhile. I have a small planter on my balcony at the moment which is thriving with leaves, and in a few weeks I'll dig out the harvest to see what I got. People grow them in very poor soil, and even in literal bags of compost, or buckets. They're easy-going and almost trouble-free. Growing chillis, tomatoes, or herbs on win…

My wife and I did the same with two planters outside my apartment, first time trying our hand at container gardening. We are about 10ish days from harvest and exited to see what happened. If the amount and health of the leaves are any indication, we should pull a meal or two's worth out of it for what amounted to very little effort and care. Fingers crossed! We tried carrots, but they came out very stunted, even acco…

I second the garlic recommendation here. It is more tolerant to nutrient and water variability than most crops. Slugs and many other pests won’t bother it.

If you do give it regular fertilizer and water then you can plant it extremely densely, seeding just a few inches apart. Great for apartment dwellers with raised bed or container gardens.

We plant around Halloween and harvest in early July. That leaves time and space for a late summer crop if you wish.

Also, garlic stores very well. We harvest about 100 bulbs each year from a small plot, maybe 2-3 sq m., and that gives us garlic for a year, fresh, cured, minced (into butter or pesto), and for gifts.

And don’t even get me started on how amazing and versatile garlic scapes are. The scape harvest is its own prized crop!

Added: I’m in Vancouver. Garlic seems to love the overwintering process here, usually with some light snow.

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#49

Post by nytesky »

stevekemp wrote: post #9

Off-topic but I have to say that potatoes are incredibly easy to grow, and doing so is very worthwhile. I have a small planter on my balcony at the moment which is thriving with leaves, and in a few weeks I'll dig out the harvest to see what I got. People grow them in very poor soil, and even in literal bags of compost, or buckets. They're easy-going and almost trouble-free. Growing chillis, tomatoes, or herbs on win…

That’s essentially half the plot of the Martian, they were pretty “easy” to grow. ;)

Re: How Potatoes Evolved

#50

Post by throw310822 »

foobar1962 wrote: post #15
cariaso wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can easily forgive the statement you highlighted, but there is zero information about potatoes in this one: Along with wheat, maize and rice, they are estimated to account for up to 80% of all calories eaten by people worldwide.

I picked that up too. Awkward. I think they mean that 80% of all calories are provided by wheat, maize, rice, and potatoes.

I interpreted it as "they're part of the class of foods that, depending on the culture, can make up to 80% of the calories of each meal'.
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