North Dakota Grows
Potatoes come in all different varieties & colors. Can you tell me the four different color potatoes we grow in ND?
Reds: waxy coating means they stay firm throughout cooking
Yellows: buttery flavor & creamy texture
Brown (russet): Ideal for fluffy mashed potatoes or homemade french fries
Whites: hold their shape after cooking making them perfect for potato salads
Potatoes are referred to as a starchy vegetable. Can you name 2 other starchy vegetables?
Beans
Peas
Corn
Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Potatoes can be harvested by hand or by big machines. What is the definition of harvest?
The process or period of gathering crops.
Green potatoes are healthy for you
FALSE. Green potatoes can contain poisonous toxins.
When sunlight hits a tuber, they turn green and produce a toxic compound. Potatoes can even turn green if they are stored in the light.
Potatoes are annual plants meaning they need to be planted each year.
What is it referred to if a plant comes back year after year?
Perennials
What part of the potato does the sprout come from on seed potatoes?
The eye of the potato, sometimes referred to as nodes or buds. Those little "divets" in the potatoes are called the eye of the potato.
Fun Fact: North Dakota ranks #2 in the most acres planted for seed potatoes in the nation
Potatoes have more potassium than what fruit?
Banana.
Potatoes are classified as what type of crop?
1. Root
2. Bulb
3. Tuber
TUBER. Specifically a stem tuber, since they are underground plant stems that store nutrients for next season's growth and they are capable of producing complete new plants from a part of the tuber.
Store your potatoes in an airtight container and wash them to make them last longer
FALSE. Never store in an airtight container and only wash the potatoes before eating them. Never wash them before storing them.
The world's largest potato weighed how many pounds?
18 pounds!!
Did you know that one specific region in North Dakota is the largest producer of RED potatoes for the FRESH market in the nation?
This region forms the border between Minnesota and North Dakota and has nutrient rich black loam soil that give our potatoes their great flavor.
What is that region?
Red River Valley
Fun Fact: Non-irrigated land in the Red River Valley produces over 400 million pounds a year of red potatoes!
Can you eat the skin of a potato?
YES! The skin is full of nutrients.
Fun Fact: a medium potato with the skin has 110 calories and is more energy packed than any other popular vegetable!
What is photosynthesis?
The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water.
Potatoes are a power food for athletes
TRUE. Potatoes are packed with vitamin c, potassium, and fiber and with their superpowers in complex carbohydrates, they fuel athletes, keep them energized and ready to conquer any adventure.
Potatoes are used in many different ways: Fries, baked potatoes, potato salad, mashed potatoes or chips. But can you live off of them?
Potatoes are packed with vitamin c, potassium, and fiber in fact scientists have claimed that if you pair a potato with a good serving of milk or butter, they contain almost all the nutrients that a human body needs to survive.
What is another common way potatoes are used besides for human consumption and seed potatoes?
Livestock feed
What Continent did potatoes initially come from?
South America.
What is the term for the sprouting of a seed or spore after a period of dormancy?
Germination
One potato plant can produce up to 25 potatoes
TRUE!
A healthy potato plant can produce 25 or more potatoes!
Potatoes rank #_______ in the world as a staple food crop.
#4 right behind maize, wheat & rice.
Two of the most popular varieties of fresh potatoes were created right here in North Dakota.
Can you name the popular North Dakota College at which these varieties were created?
Hint: it is located in the Red River Valley region.
NDSU
With over 5000 varieties of potatoes, potatoes are America's favorite vegetable.
How many pounds of potatoes does the average American eat a year?
111 pounds!!!
Fun Fact: Potatoes were the first vegetable grown in outer space in October 1995
What is referred to as the supply of water to land and crops to help them grow.
Irrigation
TRUE. They provide a nice crisp outside with a soft, fluffy inside.
Potatoes are night shade plants. What is the scientific name for a night shade plant?
Solanum tuberosum