Potato Seeds??? (For Dummies Like Me)

When kids are asked where French fries come from, they can typically tell you they come from potatoes. The next logical question is to ask where potatoes come from. After explaining they don’t just come from grocery stores, some folks might not be sure they can answer the question correctly. For years, my father told me potatoes (and watermelons for that matter) grew on trees. How was I to know any different? Fortunately, I am finally learning the truth about potatoes.
Potatoes don’t come from seeds, they come from seed potatoes. So what is that you ask, seed potatoes are potatoes that have been kept from the prior year. (If they are purchased, they tend to be more expensive that you might guess.) A root cellar is a great place to store potatoes after they are harvested. Potatoes kept in the root cellar long enough develop eyes. These eyes are the beginnings of new potato plants. The potatoes are cut up with at least one eye in each section. The sections shouldn’t be too large or too small. Sorry, but I can’t be more specific than that because I seem to inevitable cut some too large and some too small, or at least that is what I am told. After these cut sections are allowed to dry out a few days, they can be planted.
As the plants grow, the soil must be “hilled up” around the plant a few times. This allows the plant to grow up and the potatoes to avoid growing down too deeply. When the time is right the potatoes are dug up from the ground. This would be much more difficult if the potatoes were very deep. A pitchfork can be used to dig up the potatoes or a potato plow can be used to turn up the soil and the potatoes. The newly dug potatoes have a thin, delicious skin. With time, the skin becomes slightly thicker and drier. This is God’s way of preserving potatoes.
So, in case you missed the point, potatoes grow under ground. If you come to the farmer’s market and find dirty potatoes, this might just be the sign they are very freshly picked and washing would tear away the delicate skin. You simply take these home and wash them just prior to cooking. The fabulous, fresh taste will be your reward.