Potatoes

Luck O’ the Irish

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up… in honor of this holiday we are going to make twice baked potatoes

But first… we are going to learn a wee bit about potatoes

Trivia

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, how many pounds of potatoes were grown worldwide in 2005?

710 billion pounds…that’s a lot!

More Trivia

About how many pounds of potatoes does the average American eat a year?

120 pounds…that’s about one potato per day

Nutrients Found in Potatoes

Lots of Carbohydrates in Potatoes What do carbohydrates provide for your body? Energy

Nutrients Found in Potatoes

Vitamin C (found mostly in the skins) Niacin Vitamin B6 Thiamin Iron Phosphorus And many more!

Potatoes

The ease of growing potatoes and being a nutrient dense food led to potatoes being a staple food of Europe in the 1800’s

Nutrient dense means there is a lot of nutrients in a little bit of food

A staple food is a basic food item

(Ex: flour, sugar, salt, eggs)

What is the Irish Potato Famine?

Like most of Europe, Ireland had become quite dependant upon potatoes as a major source of food

Between 1845 and 1849 the potato crops in Ireland got a crop disease called blight, which made it so the potatoes would not grow

Death Toll

It is estimated that between 1846 and 1849

500,000 people died from hunger or disease

We’re so lucky potatoes are a thriving crop today!